an Adventure into the Future
by Names.Of.The.Forgotten
Summary: Yugi has a secret, he is determined not to share it with anyone, not even the Pharaoh, but when Yugi goes missing, the Pharaoh and his friends search desperately for him, will they be able to find Yugi before its too late? -Rated T for some language-"The Pharaoh drew in a long shaky breath. Worry, loss, and anguish sparking in his eyes all at once."Guys... it's Yugi...""-Atem
1. Prologue

An old man with grey hair and a bandanna smiled down at a spikey haired boy. "Off to bed, its late, and you have school tomorrow." The man said. The boy nodded.

"Yeah. and I think Tea, Tristan, Joey and I are going on a picnic after school too."

The boy said, and he turned and headed for the stairs, he was buzzing with excitement, he couldn't wait to have a nice day with his friends. The man waved at him,

"Goodnight Yugi." he said.

Yugi turned and waved back. "Goodnight Grandpa, see you in the morning." And he ran up the stairs with a smile on his face.

He opened the door to his bedroom and closed the door behind him, got into his pajamas and sat on his bed. Within an instant, all the excitement for the picnic drained from him. He let out a small sigh.

"I heard that." a familiar voice said softly to Yugi. He turned his head in surprise.

"Yami, I thought you were asleep already." Yugi said, But Yami shook his head.

"No. I don't need much sleep." he said, then he looked at Yugi. "Whats wrong Yugi?" he asked.

Yugi closed his eyes. He wanted to tell the spirit of the Mellennium Puzzle what was wrong, but he didn't want him to worry. Yugi opened his eyes and gave a light smile. "Nothing's wrong." he said cheerfully. Yami didn't look too convinced, and he gave a sympathetic smile.

"Yugi, I know there's something bothering you, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but i'm here for you if you need me. I just hate seeing you like this." Yami told him.

Yugi gave another sigh.

"I'm just tired Yami, really. Anyway, we're going to have fun tomorrow so we should get some sleep." he said.

Yami, sad that he couldn't help his small friend, nodded and sighed.

"Your right. Get some sleep Yugi. I'll see you tomorrow morning." And with that, he disappeared back into the Mellennium Puzzle.

Yugi smiled. _its nice to know that Yami cares. But i know if I told him what was wrong, he would probably be up all night worrying about me, and thats the last thing I want him to do. _he took a deep breath. _Well, I guess I can tell him tomorrow..._ he thought. He reached over and turned off the lamp that was on, got under his blanket and in a blink of an eye, he was sound asleep.

Yami however, came back out of the Mellennium Puzzle and sat down in Yugi's rolling desk chair.

The Pharaoh, as quietly as he could, slid the chair over near Yugi's bed. Yugi stirred a little, but didn't wake.

_Yugi. _he thought. _I may not know exactly whats going on in your mind, but i know you. I know that you would only keep things from me if they were serious. That worries me Yugi. _Yami looked down at Yugi. _He's so innocent, but yet, he's been through a lot more than anyone would ever think. No one would ever have guessed that he was the one to solve the Mellennium Puzzle, when not even an adult could. _Yami sighed.

He wanted to know what was on Yugi's mind, but he wasn't going to pry.

_Sleep well Yugi. I hope that whatever is bothering you will be pushed to the back of your mind so that you can have a peaceful night._

Then Yami, once more, retreated to the Mellennium Puzzle that lay on the desk next to Yugi's bed.


	2. Chapter 1

"Wake up Yugi! Your going to be late for School!" Grandpa's voice called up the stairs.

_Hmmm, Yugi's never been one to sleep in this late on a school day. _he thought.

Yugi's eyes shot open. It was the most peaceful he had slept in days, and now he overslept!? He was usually up early! He scrambled out of bed and quickly dressed himself, brushed his teeth, and in a flash he was downstairs scarfing down his breakfast. Grandpa was a little surprised at how fast he had gotten ready, but he didn't say anything. "Yugi, I have to meet a friend of mine today, so i'm going to close the shop a bit early today." Grandpa told Yugi.

Yugi nodded as he finished his food. "Alright, see you tonight then!" He said and then grabbed his backpack and raced out the door.

Yugi was panting by the time he reached the school building. He had 20 minutes to spare. He took a few deep breaths to catch is breath, but just then, his heart stopped dead. He looked down and with a sharp pang he realized that he had forgotten something. Or SomeONE to be exact. His eyes widened. He never forgot the Mellennium Puzzle! never! He fought the panic that was rising in his chest. Then he realized what an idiot he must look like, standing in the middle of the road, looking at his feet with weird look on his face.

_What should I do!? _ he thought. _It takes more than 20 minutes to get to the Game Shop and come back! and I can't just leave Yami there all alone by himself. Yami must hate me for forgetting him. _He thought.

Yugi was so lost in thought that he didn't see Joey running towards the school. Joey must have caught sight of Yugi because he instead veered off to meet Yugi.

"Hey Yug, whatcha doin' in the front of the building?" Joey asked. Yugi looked up, a little startled.

"Um.. Hey Joey. So, your late too?" Yugi said.

Joey scratched the back of his head. "uh.. yeah-well, come on Yug, we better head in now if we want to be there on time." he said. "Come on, lets get going." he added.

Yugi shook his head rapidly. "I can't Joey." he said.

Joey looked questioningly at Yugi, "And why is that exactly?" he asked.

Yugi's worry began to burst out of him, and he told Joey the story of how he woke up late and accedentally forgot about the Pharaoh.

"What do I do Joey!?" he asked.

Joey blinked. "Go back and get the Puzzle Yugi. I'll cover for you, I promise." he said.

Yugi smiled. "Thanks Joey!" Joey smiled back.

"Oh! and Yug, don't worry about Tea, and Tristan, i'll tell them where you went so don't worry."

Yugi nodded. "Alright, and i'll be as fast as I can." he told Joey.

Joey nodded back, and proceeded into the school building, and Yugi turned and raced back towards the Game Shop.

Yugi burst through the Game Shop entrance, Grandpa was standing behind the counter,

"Yugi!?" he asked worriedly. Yugi didn't have time to answer, he was already late for his first class. He raced up the stairs and into his bedroom. The spirit of the Mellennium Puzzle was sitting on Yugi's messed up bed, rubbing one eye with the back of his hand sleepily. He was startled by the sudden appearance of Yugi in the doorway.

"Yugi?" he asked.

Yugi ran up to the spirit. "I'm so sorry Pharaoh! I can't believe I forgot the Mellennium Puzzle!"

The spirit blinked. "Forgot?" he said.

Yugi looked down at his feet. "Yeah. Nothing seems to be going my way today." he murmmered.

The Pharaoh put a hand on Yugi's shoulder and stood up. "It's alright. Everyone forgets things sometimes." he told Yugi.

Yugi looked up at him. "Pharaoh, what I mean is, I forgot about YOU." he said.

The spirit shook his head. "You came back didn't you? thats good enough for me." he said.

Yugi smiled a little. "Yeah, i guess i did... So... Your not mad at me?" Yugi asked.

"Mad?" the spirit said confused. "No. Why would I be mad over something little like this?"

Yugi started to tell Yami, but Yami shook his head. "What time is it?" he asked.

Yugi's eyes widened. "Oh no! school!" he said. He quickly grabbed the Mellennium Puzzle and raced downstairs. He saw Grandpa watching the TV with interest and he stopped.

"Grandpa?" he asked. Grandpa's eyes darted over to Yugi.

"Yugi? do you know anything about this?" he asked.

"Know about what?" Yugi asked as he walked over to the counter.

Grandpa pointed at the TV and turned up the volume so Yugi could hear. The news was on, and someone was talking.

"-Domino High Students!" The newsman said. Yami came out of the Puzzle and blinked.

"Yugi? whats going on?" he asked. but Yugi was too absorbed into the news to answer him, so Yami turned his attention to the TV screen.

The newsman was no longer in front of the camera but to the side with the camera man pointing his camera at the-all-too-familiar-school.

Outside, in the front of the building, Police cars surrounded the school. The camera man tilted the camera up to one of the school windows. Yugi's eyes suddenly turned dark.

"no." he said.

Yami was surprised just as much as Yugi was, but what scared him half to death was Yugi's reaction to it.

"Yugi? you feeling alright?" Yami asked.

Yugi's expression darkened even further when the camera man zoomed in so that everyone could see several men in black throuugh the window, and three of them all held Joey, Tea and Tristan.


	3. Chapter 2

"No! Tristan, Tea, Joey!" Yugi leapt over the counter next to Grandpa, who was startled by this.

"No." he said again with his face and hands pressed up against the screen.

"I need more time!" he shouted at the TV. "The week isn't over yet! I should still have time!"

he took a breath, and broke into tears. "It can't happen yet!" he said in a sob.

Yami and Grandpa stared at Yugi unsure of what he meant. Grandpa was the first to break the silence.

"Yugi... whats all this about?" he asked. "What do you mean by 'it can't happen yet?" he added.

Yugi didn't answer, The spirit had a concerned look on his face, but he faded back into the Mellennium Puzzle.

Yami was clearly worried about Yugi, but not only that, he was also worried about the safety of his friends who were being held captive.

_What is Yugi planning to do? _ Yami thought.

Yugi had stopped crying by now, he headed out of the Game Shop, he didn't say another word until Yami came back out of the Mellennium Puzzle. Yami didn't say anything either, he just looked worried.

_Oh I knew I would worry him! _ Yugi thought, and he turned away. Yami looked at Yugi, a question forming in his mind.

"Yugi, what do you plan to do?" he asked, but Yugi just shook his head, clearly reluctant to tell the Pharaoh anything.

He turned on a different street that connected to an alleyway. As far as Yugi knew, this was the only way to get into the school. Through the back entrance.

"Yugi... Please... I want to help you..." The Pharaoh urged, but Yugi shook his head again.

"No spirit. You can't help me. And even if I did tell you, it wouldn't make any difference, it's already too late." Yugi said. Yami frowned.

"Yugi-" he broke off. They had turned down the alleyway, and were now heading down it, when a black-hooded man stepped out of the shadows. Yami was startled,

_Oh no! things really aren't going our way today. It's the perfect place for that man to be, and a perfect place to intercept us! i'm sure this has something to do with what Yugi said earlier!_

Yugi's breathing quickened, he knew who this man was, and he was afraid of him.

Yami looked at Yugi, and seeing his frightened face was enough to convince him that this wasn't something that Yugi expected.

"Yugi, let me take over now." the Pharaoh said, but Yugi shook his head again, Yugi knew full well that the spirit could probably help in this situation, but he knew that, even in this situation, this very situation that he knew would come, that the spirit would be in danger.

"No Pharaoh, this is something that I have to do." Yugi told him.

Yami didn't like seeing Yugi in such a panic, whenever Yugi was like this Yami always took over, The Pharaoh felt it was his job to protect his friend, and, having Yugi deny this scared Yami. He didn't know what to do, or how to help Yugi. They never had a situation like this when Yami was denied entrance to Yugi's body when Yugi was in danger. _Maybe he's trying to protect me? no. I know that he would, but this isn't the case, there seems to be alot more going on here than i can see._ Yami thought.

Then a wave of sorrow swept over the Pharaoh. He didn't want Yugi in danger, he simply couldn't let Yugi do this to himself. Yami took a breath, knowing full well that Yugi would dislike what he was about to do, but he saw no other choice in the matter.

Yugi was staring at the hooded man, to scared to notice, let alone think about what Yami might do now.

When Yami saw the lack of attention towards him, he took this advantage to force Yugi's soul out of his body so that he could take control. In a blink of an eye, Yugi was the spirit next to Yami, and Yami was now in control of Yugi's body.

Yugi drew a sharp breath in fear. "Yami! what did you do!?" he exclaimed.

"Yugi, i'm protecting you, I saw no other choice, and i'm sorry for that, but let me handle this." Yami told Yugi.

Yugi, now helpless, shook his head quickly. "You can't-" he was cut off by the man, of course, the man wouldn't have known that he had interrupted a conversation between two people.

"Well, Yugi, if you have quite finished arguing with yourself, maybe we can get on with our business." the man said.

The Pharaoh turned his attention back to the hooded man.

"What do you want with Yugi!?" he shouted at him.

The man blinked in surprise. "Oh, I was right, your not Yugi Muto, Your the famous Pharaoh that my masters been raving about. The famous Spirit of the Mellennium Puzzle, said to be the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh who ruled over Egypt. Question is, WHY are you still here?" he said.

The man had a big grin on his face, and to Yugi's horror, he took a step towards the Pharaoh, He knew exactly what that man was going to do, and he knew he had to act quickly. Using all his might, Yugi fought hard to gain control of his body back.

"Yami! Let me back in please!" he shouted. Yami knew that the man was a growing threat, but he couldn't ignore the look of desperation in his young friends eyes. Yami, who was clearly at a loss of words, sighed and gave control back to Yugi, and Yami's spirit was once more pushed from Yugi's body.

"Be very careful Yugi." he said.

The man seemed to have noticed the change, for Yugi's face looked younger and more inexperenced than Yami's did.

The Pharaoh was standing next to Yugi, though the man didn't see him, Yami glared at him with anger.

"Yugi, i'm right here if you need me." he told Yugi.

Before Yugi could answer, the man took a step forward. "Well. Yugi Muto. You've finally showed your face." he said.

Yugi glared at the man. "What do you want H-"

"Don't say my name!" the man interrupted. "Otherwise i'd have to tell Mira." he hissed. Yugi didn't move a muscle, but Yami had flinched under his harsh tone towards his young friend. But what surprised him was the fact that Yugi didn't flinch at all, he was sure that if he flinched, Yugi would have done the same, but clearly he was wrong. _Maybe i've underestimated him too much. _Yami thought.

Yugi took a step forward. "Atleast Mira will let me say her name, and she gets to the point a lot quicker than you can." he said harshly.

Yami admired Yugi's bravery, especially against a tall bulky man like this.

_But who is this Mira person? could it be possible that these two have met before?_ then a sudden realization came to him. _That day... the day that he said he wanted to have time alone, could it be possible that all of this happened on that one day?_ he shuddered. That would mean that Yugi didn't just want to be alone, he wanted to get away from everyone so that he could sort things out himself.

He thought about Tea, Tristan, and Joey. _Where were they when all of this happened?_ he thought, but then a thought flashed across his mind. _Tea, Tristan, and Joey are all still in great danger! _

He put a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Yugi, Tea, Tristan, and Joey are still in great danger! we have to help them!" he said, but to the Pharaoh's surprise, Yugi ignored him. _What? did I do something wrong? why is he ignoring me?_ Yami thought.

The man scowled at Yugi. "Mira is no where near as nice as you'd like to believe Yugi, in fact, she even told me to come here today, she said that your time was up." he said. Yugi's eyes widened.

"But thats impossible! i have one more day! Time's not up yet! Please! let me finish!" he said urgently.

_Time?_ the Pharaoh thought. _Time enough for what? _

The man shook his head. "Oh Yugi, we told you time was limited to your decision, and your actions." he said. "Time is simply, up for you."


	4. Chapter 3

This time Yugi reacted, by taking a step back, sweat covered his face.

"No, I still have one more day!" he shouted.

The man sighed. "One more day? Honestly Yugi. Today was your last day! a child could have known that."

Yugi glared at the man. "No! Time is not up yet! i have one more day!" he shouted.

This seemed to have angered the black-hooded man, because the man started walking towards Yugi. "Thats it." he growled.

By now, Yugi was shaking with fear, and tears streamed down his face.

"Yugi!?" The Pharaoh said worriedly.

Yugi turned his head to look at the Pharaoh. "I tried. I really did try." he said half scared, and half angry with himself for not trying harder.

Yami saw the man approaching Yugi with hatred gleaming in his eyes. "Yugi! We have to get out of here now!" he said.

Yugi shook his head. "I can't. I'm sorry Yami." he looked into the Pharaoh's eyes. "Please, keep Tristan, Tea, and Joey safe." he murmered.

The spirit looked shocked. "Yugi! we're in danger! YOUR in danger! we have to leave now!" he said forcefully.

Yugi looked at Yami sadly with a i'm-sorry-I-just-can't face. Yami's eyes grew round and scared. "Yugi..." he said in a low whisper.

Then a wave of anger washed over Yami as he realized that his young friend was giving up. Yami turned to Yugi, and with all his might, and all of the power of the Mellennium Puzzle, he forced Yugi out of his body, as to be in control again. "Pharaoh no!" he shouted. But Yami turned and ran. Unfortunately, the hooded manwas close enough to grab the collar of his shirt. "Oh no, after our contract, you can't leave. Not before I take what was promised to me." he said in a low throaty growl.

_What does he mean?_ Yami thought.

"No!" Yugi's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yugi, what-" he was cut off when the man reached down to grab both of Yami's shoulders.

"No! Not him!" Yugi shouted, even though the man couldn't hear him, and before Yami could react to anything, quick as a flash Yugi ripped Yami out of his body with such force it dazed the spirit, and he fell to the ground. Yugi got back into his body just in time to hear a voice close to his ear. "Time is never given to those who take advantage of things" the man said. Then the man squeezed Yugi's shoulders so hard that it hurt, and then he ripped out Yugi's spirit and he faded away, still holding the struggling Yugi Muto.


	5. Chapter 4

The Pharaoh awoke laying on the ground in the alleyway. He was so dizzy from Yugi ripping him out of his body, thathe must have collapsed. _But wouldn't Yugi have gone home? why are we still here? was he knocked unconsious too?_ Yami thought. He slowly got to his feet, and looked around. _It looks like the afternoon finally came._ He told himself. He looked at his feet thinking, but then he noticed that he wasn't a spirit, he was in Yugi's body. _Odd,_ he thought._ If Yugi ripped me out of his body, then why am I still in his body? _he thought, and looked around. _So, if i'm still in his body, then where is he? He has to explain to me whats going on! _

Yami began to walk around the alley wondering where Yugi was. He didn't feel his presence anywhere. "Yugi?" he called out. No answer. He looked at the Mellennium Puzzle, "Yugi? You in there?" he asked. Still, no answer. This worried him, _Is Yugi trying to avoid me? I hope not._ he thought to himself. Then he wondered if he should check in the Mellennium Puzzle, was it possible that Yugi just didn't want to talk to him? He closed his eyes, and entered the Mellennium Puzzle. He walked down the path that led to both of their minds, which of course, were their Soul Rooms.

_Strange._ he thought. _Yugi's Soul Room door is closed... something must be really bothering him if his door is closed..._ He knocked on his door. No answer. Yami took a deep breath, he knew that if he entered Yugi's Soul Room without permission it would be trespassing, but his concern for Yugi was greater, so he slowly opened the door.

Yami blinked, The lights were off and no toys were scattered across the floor. No one was there.

The Pharaoh's concern for his young friend grew when he realized that when he first woke, the hooded man was no where in sight.

Fear crawled under his skin, and he turned to leave, but jumped when he saw another person in the doorway to Yugi's Soul Room. This man wore a tan colored robe and a white scarf around his neck. He had cloth wrapped around his head, and he held two of the other Mellennium Items. The Mellennium Key was hanging around his neck and he held the Mellennium Scale in his right hand.

Yami let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Shadi." he said welcoming. Shadi blinked.

"You must have had quite a morning my Pharaoh." he said in a low voice.

Yami nodded. "Yes. But tell me Shadi, Why are you here in the Mellennium Puzzle?" he asked.

Shadi paused for a moment. "Please forgive my intrusion in your minds, but I had sensed something was wrong, so I came to see if I could help in someway." Shadi told the Spirit of the Mellennium Puzzle.

The Pharaoh nodded, but before he could respond Shadi had turned to leave. "My Pharaoh, would you mind if we continued this discussion outside the Mellennium Puzzle? I not only sensed something wrong, I also came to tell you something of great importance."

Yami blinked. "Uh, sure." he said a little confused.

Within a blink of an eye, The Pharaoh was back in Yugi's body, but this time, Shadi was standing next to him.

Shadi bowed to Yami.

"My Pharaoh, I understand you are in great distress at the moment, but what i'm about to tell you is a serious matter."

Yami nodded. "Go on Shadi." and with a quick nod Shadi continued.

"As you know, I am the protector of the Mellennium Items, and, since the Chosen Ones carry their Mellennium Items, I cannot keep track of all of them at once. " Shadi paused, wondering how to say what he wanted without The Pharaoh going nuts.

Shadi took a deep breath. "The Mellennium Ring, Rod, Necklace and Eye, have all been taken from the Chosen Ones. Not only that, each Chosen One has been taken away."

The Pharaoh's eyes grew wide with distress. "No... Yugi..." he said.

Shadi looked up at The Pharaoh. "Yes My Pharaoh, it would appear that they took the young one as well, but it puzzles me..." he trailed off. Then resumed. "It puzzles me that they took him and not the Mellennium Puzzle as well..."

The Pharaoh fought the tears that were coming to his eyes. He was _not_ going to cry infront of Shadi.

Shadi looked up at the Pharaoh, he knew that the Pharaoh and little Yugi had bonded in a way that he never understood, but he also knew that the Pharaoh might know something that could help this situation.

"Well..." Yami started, but stopped.

Shadi closed his eyes. "There's something else." he said.

The pharaoh glanced at Shadi. "There is?" he asked.

Shadi nodded. "Yes... Seto Kaiba has gone missing as well..." The Pharaoh let out a tiny gasp of surprise.

"Kaiba?" he asked. "Missing? what about his little brother Mokuba?"

Shadi opened his eyes. "Yes, he's gone missing, as far as I know Mokuba and the whole company are scouring around for him." he paused for a minute. "And as far as I know, Joey, Tristan and Tea have all been released, Everyone at Domino High has gone home due to the intrusion of dangerous men. The Teachers and Staff are still at the school though." he said quickly.

The Pharaoh nodded. "Thats good. I must go see them though..." he trailed off and looked at the ground in front of him.. "I have to tell them what's happened to Yugi." A look of sorrow and loss crossed the Pharaoh's face, and Shadi gave a sympathetic smile.

"We'll get them back, but for now I must continue my search for the lost Mellennium Items and their Chosen friends." He paused once more. "My Pharaoh, I should warn you, since long ago when Marik took control of your friends, he was able to control them, and I would'nt at all be surprised if he is using your friends to get help right now..."

The Pharaoh gave a questioning look. "Marik?" he asked.

Shadi took a breath. "Yes, Marik. Even though he was not exactly one of the Chosen Ones to weild them, he still knew of their power, so I would assume that's why he was taken as well..." he said.

The spirit still looked a little confused, but understanding dawned on him. "Kaiba is a rencarnation of the Ancient Egyptian Seto, and back in Ancient Egypt, Seto had weilded the Mellennium Rod. Could that count for something?" he asked.

Shadi nodded. "It's possible." he murmered.

The Pharaoh looked up from the ground and looked into Shadi's eyes.

"Shadi, do you know everyone that went missing?"

Shadi shook his head. "No, but I can tell you who I _know_ is missing." he said, and The Pharaoh nodded.

Shadi took a breath. "Well, Seto Kaiba is one, Marik and his Yami, Ishizu, and Odion, as well as Ryou Bakura and his Yami. And then Pegasas... and Yugi Muto now." Shadi shook his head sadly.

A question formed in the Pharaoh's mind that he thought Shadi might know the answer to.

"Shadi, We ran into a black-hooded man in this alleyway this morning, Yugi seemed to have known him." He thought for a moment. "And I think he mentioned someone named Mira." he told Shadi.

Shadi didn't react to any of this, he just stared blankly at Yami, Then he spoke.

"I do not know of anyone named Mira, or of any black-hooded man. But I will investigate this, and I will get back to you on this news." He paused. "And my Pharaoh, Be careful, you are the only who is still not missing, and it puzzles me that you were not taken along with Yugi, but your Mellennium Puzzle is at risk all the same." he said.

A bubble formed near the wall of the alleyway, Shadi stepped into it, still looking at the Pharaoh. "Be careful." were his last words before he and the rippling bubble disappeared.

Yami was once more alone, and that sudden realization made him very sad, he didn't know what to do without Yugi, he had to find some way to get his friend back safely, along with all the others.

_I must talk with Tea, Tristan, and Joey, then I will go to Mokuba and explain what has happened, although i'm not sure of his reaction... I hope that he believes me when I tell him, I know that if Mokuba went missing instead of Kaiba, Kaiba would dismiss it._ He thought to himself, Then, slowly he made his way back the way he came, back towards the Game Shop, but not to the Game Shop, he was headed for Tea's house, which he knew, Joey and Tristan would probably end up since they had no where else to go.


	6. Chapter 5

As the Pharaoh slowly made his way over to Tea's house, he began thinking about how he should break the news to Yugi's most trusted friends.

He gave a little sigh.

_It's all my fault... if I had been a bit more careful, Yugi could still be here with us..._

He tried to hold back a sob, but he couldn't. He broke down into tears right there on the sidewalk. People passed by in cars and on the street staring at him, but he didn't care. He had lost his closest friend once more, he just couldn't bear the thought of him actually being lost forever. He couldn't stand to even bring up that fact. The fact that Yugi very well could be lost forever.

_I'm alone again..._ He told himself, but then he shook himself feircely.

_I'm not going to give up. Never ever. I'm going to find Yugi and the others and I'm going to bring them all back to where they belong. I know that Yugi would do the same thing for me if I had gone missing, and I know he would never give up on finding me, so I'm not about to start giving up when my friend is depending so much on me._

He slowly tried to put himself back together, he knew that he looked pathetic, and that his face was red from his tears, but he didn't care. All he cared about in this moment was getting to Yugi's friends and then figuring out how to get Yugi back.

By the time he had reached Tea's house, he had no more energy, he was fully drained, he had no strength. He felt like he was dying inside, and the fact that he had to break this news to Yugi's precious friends was almost unbearable, but he knew he had to do it, no matter how hard he had tried to turn away and forget.

It had taken Yami about an hour or two to reach Tea's house on foot, but the real reason it took him so long was because he was dragging his feet the whole time, dreading their reactions. He took a shaky breath, his head was spinning and his heart was beating fast, dispite the drained energy, he had reached Tea's door step and was about to knock, when Tristan opened the door and ran into the Pharaoh. Yami grunted in surprise and fell to his knees. Tristan blinked in surprise.

"Yugi? what's going on? you feeling alright?" he asked in a concerned voice.

Before the Pharaoh could respond, Tea was suddenly next to Tristan in the doorway. "Yugi!?" she said in surprise.

_Is it really that much of a surprise that I came to her house?_ he thought to himself, but when Tea was bending down next to him, he realized that the look on his face, and the fact that he was on the ground, must have scared both of them half to death.

The Pharaoh blinked, clearly exhausted. "Tea..." he murmered. Tea's eyes were sparked with fear for her friend, and she wasted no time in ordering Tristan and Joey to carry Yugi inside and onto the couch to rest.

"Please... I..." he trailed off, he couldn't finish his sentence, he was so exhausted from all of today's events that, even in this uncomfortable position on Tea's couch, he fell fast asleep quicker than he would have ever thought possible.

By the time the Pharaoh had woken up, he had noticed that it was no longer growing dark outside, but growing lighter.

_I slept the whole night? I didn't know I could have ever slept that long... I wonder what time it is..._ He wondered silently. He looked around for a clock, and finally found one on the stand next to him. It read 11:46.

_11:46? I slept that long?_ he questioned himself.

"Well, Hello sleeping beauty!" Tea said walking over.

"Uh... Hi." The Pharaoh stuttered.

Tea blinked, "I hope you didn't mind sleeping over here, you looked almost dead when you came last night..." she trailed off, again worry gleamed in her eyes.

"Uh..." The Pharaoh began. But Tea seemed to have pushed her worry to the side.

"You know what Yugi... I don't think you've ever been in my house before..." she said, and then she smiled. "Are you feeling any better?" she asked, then thought for a moment.

"I could take you on a tour if you want, seeing as how you've never been here before." she said laughing.

She was in a good mood today it seemed.

The Pharaoh, still a little stunned about the past events, nodded absently.

"Tea... Where are Tristan and Joey?" the Pharaoh asked.

Tea smiled. "Well, they were getting ready to leave when you stopped by, and they seemed a bit worried about you, and they asked to stay the night... They stayed in the guest bedroom." She rolled her eyes. "And it seems even on weekends they like to be lazy, and, not that it's really any surprise to me, they're still asleep." she said in a flat voice.

But she smiled again, "Well, why don't we wake them up? and on the way i'll give you a tour of the place." she said.

The Pharaoh's eyes were still glazed with loss, but Tea didn't seem to have noticed.

"Come on Yugi." she said, and she pulled Yami off the couch and onto the floor. He swayed a little, his head getting dizzy for a moment,

luckily Tea was standing next to him in time to catch, and steady him.

_Well, it's a good thing I didn't fall completely over, otherwise I don't think Tea would have enough strength to catch me._ He mused.

As Tea and Yami walked around the house Yami noticed that there was more than enough space, and it could easily be too big for one person, but the Pharaoh dismissed the thought.

He looked around the house.

The front door was an average size door, but it didn't seem all that big compared to the rest of the house.

When you walk through the front door, all you really see is a stairway that leads both downstairs and upstairs. When you walked upstairs you were in the living room. But Tea always saw it as the 'family room' even though she lived alone.

The Pharaoh smiled to himself, noticing that when she said 'family room' she clearly meant that, to her, her friends were family.

There was a big TV hanging on the far wall, and two couches surrounded the TV, and a rocking chair was next to the long couch.

Yami looked around, When he first arrived at Tea's house, he didn't care to look around much, but now that he was looking at it, he realized that, even though Tea isn't rich, her parents clearly spoiled her rotten.

Yami laughed to himself and thought._ Well, atleast she doesn't act rotten._

The Pharaoh didn't really have time to soak up all of his surroundings in the Living room before Tea dragged him further around the house.

Yami noticed that if you went closer to the TV, to the right you'd see that the wall breaks away and heads further into the house. That room was the dining room.

"And if you look over there.." Tea pointed her finger to the right of the table. "The kitchen is a big island." she told him.

She then walked towards the kitchen and beside the sink, there was a double door. She opened them up and behind the door was a halway, but not just any hallway, it looked more like a hotel hallway than any normal one he had seen before.

The doors were all evenly spaced apart, and, as Tea walked down the hallway, she pointed left and right, telling Yami that down this hallway was where all the bedrooms and bathrooms were.

The Pharaoh looked around, it was extremely bright in here, but yet no lights were on, but then he noticed that at the end of the hallway there was a big window that let sunlight leak in.

Yami stopped suddenly. "Tea..." he started.

Tea stopped beside him. "Yes Yugi?" she asked.

At the sound of his friends name he flinched, not just a little bit, a lot. Enough for Tea to notice, of course, he didn't want her to notice, but it seemed she had anyways.

"Yugi... whats wrong?" she asked.

The Pharaoh, unable to tell her at the moment shook his head sadly.

"Tea, I need to tell you all something... it's... important." he told her. "Do you think you could get Tristan and Joey?" he asked.

Tea, solemn for the first time that day, nodded and walked up to the nearest door, rapping her knuckles loudly against the door.

There was a loud, "What!" from the other side. "Joey! Tristan! come on you've been in there almost the whole day..."

She continued to scold them, but Yami had walked back the way he had come, through the double doors, past the island and dining room, and back into the family room.

He sat down on the long couch he had slept on that night, and drew a shaky breath.

A few moments later Tea had emerged from behind the wall with Tristan and Joey, both of them were in their pajamas, and their hair was scraggly and uncombed.

Tristan was mumbling some sort of insult about Tea, and Joey looked at her with a smug look on his face, but both of their eyes grew bright once they saw Yami sitting on the couch.

Tea sat down on the opposite couch that faced Yami.

"Hey! Yug, buddy, long time no see eh? how you feelin' this morning?" Joey asked, and Tristan nodded in agreement to Joey.

Yami didn't look at them both, only the ground, but he did motion for Tristan and Joey to sit down next to Tea.

Tea, Tristan and Joey all gave a puzzled look, but the Pharaoh didn't seem to notice.

"Yugi? whats wrong buddy?" Tristan asked when they were all settled.

Yami was still looking at the ground, a tear had formed and fell from his eye. Tea let out a tiny gasp of surprise, quiet enough that only Joey and Tristan heard it.

"Yugi?" Tea asked concerned.

for the first time that day, Yami looked up at the concerned faces of the 3 friends.

"No... not Yugi..." he stammered uncomfortably.

"Pharaoh?" Joey said.

Yami closed his eyes and nodded.

Tristan, by this point was utterly confused.

"Well... whats wrong Pharaoh? the longer you make us wait, the more I think i'll go crazy if you don't tell us what's wrong." he stated.

Yami knew that this was probably correct, according to Joey and Tristan anyway.

The Pharaoh drew in a long shaky breath. Worry, loss, and anguish sparking in his eyes all at once.

"Guys... it's Yugi..."

Tea stood up. "Yugi? Whats wrong with him? is he sick?" she asked.

Tears ran down Yami's cheeks, and he roughly shook his head to clear it, but also answering Tea's question.

"No... it's... well..." he stuttered.

Then unconsiously, he stood up and almost screamed and cried at the same time.

"Yugi! He's... gone!"


	7. Chapter 6

**hey, quick note to you guys... this chapter's going to be a bit different. Since this story's 2 main characters are basically Atem and Yugi, the last 2 or 3 chapters focused on Atem's thoughts, so this chapter is going to have both Atem and Yugi's POV in it... **

**hope you like!**

**Yugi's POV**

Yugi looked around, he was tired, even more than he had ever been in his entire life.

He looked around slowly, but it took him a few seconds to figure out that he was moving, well, not on his own of course. Someone was carrying him. But where?

'Where', was the only question he had time to think of before he felt like he was going to fall asleep, but he forced himself to stay awake when he heard 2 people talking.

It was a man and a woman talking.

_Wait! The person who's carrying me is talking! but wait... it sounds like..._

He trailed off, then his eyes grew wide and scared.

_It's Mira! she's the one carrying me! but how... she's only 10... How could she be carrying me? i'm way more heavy that she is!_ he thought.

He squeezed his eyes shut trying to chase away all the questions forming in his mind, he had to concentrate on the conversation.

"...Mira." the man said.

Mira gave a breath of anger. "Just step aside T, if you don't... well, you know what will happen!" she yelled.

the man drew in a sharp breath of both fear and anger.

"Please.. Mira, you can't take him there... he has to go where all the other souls go, and to me, it looks like your giving this one special treatment." he said in a whisper.

Mira, at that moment, seemed calmer than she was. "T, i'm not giving him special treatment, I need to..." she trailed off and thought for a moment before continuing. "Get something from him, so if you don't mind, please step aside, after all, it IS my room T." she told him.

Yugi couldn't see the man, but he assumed that he was giving into Mira.

He was right, The man called 'T' stepped aside to let Mira in.

With all these questions and thoughts buzzing through his mind, he was growing even more exhausted, he didn't know how he could possibly feel MORE tired, but he did, and he couldn't resist closing his eyes and falling asleep.

On the edge of his consiousness, he had felt Mira put him down on a soft place, maybe a bed? the couch? he didn't know, and before he faded completely, he felt Mira lean down and whisper something in his ear.

"Sleep well Yugi Muto, you have a tough day ahead of you." she said quietly.

Yugi wanted to thank her, but he didn't have the energy.

His last thought before going unconcious was, How could that hooded man ever insult Mira like that when, undoubtably, to him, she was the nicest out of all of them, if not a little generous at times.

**Atem's POV**

The Pharaoh fell onto the couch and planted his face in the palm of his hands. He tried his best to hold onto the sobs that escaped from him, the best he could do was choke out sobs here and there.

He couldn't bear to look at their faces.

_They'll probably ignore me now. I can't believe I let this happened to Yugi... and I was right there with him too!_ He thought angrily to himself.

He was surprised when he felt weight on the couch right next to him, and what surprised him further was the soft had patting his back. It was Tea.

The Pharaoh uncovered his eyes and looked up.  
Joey and Tristan were standing infront of him, a sad expression on their face, and Tea had tears running down the side of her face.

"I lost him... I'm sorry... I thought that you should know..." The pharaoh whispered quietly. It was forced that was for sure, but only because he felt the overwhealming sense of loss.

There was a few moments of silence, for Yugi's benefit no doubt.

_I hope Yugi is alright, I have to find him before something happens._ Yami told himself.

Joey, the one to finally break the silence, had put a hand on Yami's shoulder.

"We'll find him." he stated. "Even if it takes us a while, We'll find him."

Tea nodded. "He's right Pharaoh. Remember, we're all in this together no matter what." she said comfortingly.

The Pharaoh seemed to have calmed down enough to the point where his face was just red from the tears.

He wiped his eyes. "Your right guys. We have to find him." he said.

Tristan, still a little shocked, sat down on the floor in front of Yami, and Joey did the same.

Tea didn't move, she was content to just stay where she was, and help the pharaoh if he started crying again. It pained her to see him like that, since it didn't happen often, but she understood why. Yugi meant everything to Yami, Yugi was the _reason_ Yami stood here at this very moment, and if it weren't for Yugi, Yami probably would still be locked in the Mellennium Puzzle even to this day.

Tristan looked up at Yami.

"So Pharaoh, i know this might be hard, but, do you think you could tell us exactly what happened? maybe then we could figure out what's going on enough to know where Yugi might be." he told him.

Tea had a sharp intake of breath. _Stupid Tristan._ she thought to herself, _couldn't he have been at least a little bit more careful about his choice of words?!_

The Pharaoh thought for a moment, "That's probably a good idea." he said, breaking Tea's train of thought.

Tristan nodded and situated himself on the floor so he was comfortable, Joey did the same.

"Alright. From beguinning to end, tell us what happened that day." Joey said.

Tea grew a little concerned at Yami's hesitation, but it soon faded when the Pharaoh began talking.

Yami had told them every little detail about what happened, even though it pained him, he knew that they had to know. He told them all of when Yugi forgot the Mellennium Puzzle, he told them about what happened when Yugi saw the news, and even when the hooded man came. When he got to the details about both Yugi's argument with both the hooded man and himself, he started to cry a little, but he stopped crying immediately as soon as he felt Joey pat his leg and say,

"it's alright buddy, keep going."

The Pharaoh gave a tiny nod, and continued.

He mentioned that he woke up unconsious in Yugi's body, and the visit with Shadi, and mentioned the missing Mellennium Items.

"... And then I came here... To tell you guys... well... you know." The Pharaoh was looking away from everyone when he had finished his story, but what he didn't expect was the questions that he got.

"So... Mira? who's she?" Joey asked casually.

"Dunno." Yami answered. "If I did, I'd be asking her where Yugi is now." he said slowly.

Tristan thought for a moment. "Well... Tell us more about Yugi's conversation with that man you saw." he said.

Yami took a breath. "Well..." he began. "The interesting thing was that the man had told him that Yugi ran out of time to make a decision about something, and then something about his actions..." he trailed off, he knew he didn't need to finish the sentence, the others already knew what he meant.

Tristan, lost in thought, didn't realize he was speaking out loud before it was too late.

"He probably has a secret."

Tea, Joey and Yami all looked at Tristan.

Tristan looked up. "uh... did I say that out loud?" he asked.

Joey punched Tristan in the arm. Rather hard.

"Yeah..." Joey answered.

Tristan glared at Joey and rubbed his arm, "That hurt dude." he said, but Joey shrugged.

They all then shifted their gazes towards the Pharaoh.

He didn't move nor say anything at all.

He was lost in thought.

_Tristan's right. Knowing that Yugi did what he did, proves that he was hiding something, if only I could figure out what, then I could-_

His thoughts were cut off by Tea, who decided to hold onto the Pharaoh's arm.

"Pharaoh? is everything ok?" she asked.

Yami closed his eyes for a brief moment, sighed, and opened them again.

"I think Tristan is right. Yugi did seem to be both hesitant and insistant whenever I had asked him if something was wrong. And I had a feeling, after seeing Yugi's reaction to the news, that he knew that something like that might happen..." Yami said slowly.

He didn't know how they all would take it, and he didn't want to repeat himself, it was already unbearable accepting that Yugi was indeed taken by someone, but he didn't know whether those people had an intent to _kill_ his friend. _That_ made him uneasy, not to mention fidgety.

**Yugi's POV**

"Yugi... wake up." a voice said softly.

Yugi slowly blinked open his eyes, and looked up at a girl standing over him.

"...Mira?" he asked.

the girls eyes burned with shame.

_shame? _thought Yugi. _did something happen?_ he thought to himself.

"uh... Yugi?" she said again.

Yugi suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Y-Yeah?" he asked.

she shuffled her feet backwards.

"Yugi... i'm sorry... I-I didn't mean to.." she stuttered awkwardly.

Yugi stiffly got up, the blankets, that weren't there before, fell into his lap.

"Mira? what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

She shook her head viciously. "No.. I... Yugi..." she tried to say.

Yugi just tilted his head a little, concern and worry lit his face.

She suddenly knelt down beside the couch where Yugi lay, and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

"Yugi..." she started, she broke off, then she forced herself to finish the sentence.

"Yugi, I'm not Mira." she said in a forceful whisper.

Yugi's eyes lit with surprise. "You're not?" he asked, then thought for a moment before continuing. "So... was it you who brought me in here?" he asked.

The girl open her eyes slowly, "You're not upset?" she said faintly surprised.

Yugi blinked. "Why would I be?" he asked.

She shook her head, "uh... an answer to your question... Yeah, I did bring you in here." she stated. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier." she said in a whisper.

Yugi just smiled. "That's alright." he said, "So, if your not Mira, then who are you?" he asked.

All of a sudden there was a fierce knock at the door.

"Mira!" a man shouted. The girl's face turned from happy, to one of sheer horror.

"Don't come in!" she shouted towards the door. "I'm busy!" she added.

She back towards Yugi. "I'm Sora, nothing more." she said hurriedly. "Now i've got to hide you!" she said in a hurried whisper.

Yugi carefully got up, but Sora practically dragged him out of bed and shoved him into the nearest closet and slammed the closet door shut.

All Yugi could see was pitch black, he couldn't see anything at all, except for the light that shone in through the bedroom.

_Sora? that's a pretty name._ He thought.

He silently smiled to himself._ She's really nice... _he thought, but then he noticed, from memory of course, that they were roughly the same age, and, to his surprise, roughly the same height. But then he turned around and thought about what had happened for him to get here.

His eyes widened at the thought, and a tear formed and trailed down his cheek. He didn't know how he could forget, he couldn't imagine what the Pharaoh was doing at this moment. Was he searching for him? no... he knew that he would probably tell everyone first.

His fist clentched in anger. If only he had had the courage to tell someone, the Pharaoh especially, what a mess he had made of his life, and of Yami's. He looked at the ground in shame, He held back a choke of sorrow that had built up. It was like a raging storm that threatened to overwhealm him. But he couldn't focus on that. He was hiding!

He shook himself to clear his mind. He wished there was some way he could communicate with the spirit, but he knew it was impossible.

More tears came and rolled down his face, why? why did he have to imagine the Pharaoh wailing in agony? ok... not wailing in agony, but something like blaming himself for loosing him.

To Yugi, it always seemed that the Pharaoh automatically blamed himself for everything that happened Yugi, regardless of why or how it happened.

All of a sudden a screech came from outside the closet. Yugi held his breath, was it possible the man was hurting Sora?

There was a meow.

It was a cat. It had purred, and someone had gotten scared of it. Well, that's what he concluded anyway.

The man was yelling and screaming.

"GAH! GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!" he shouted. then, he chuckled slightly. "Oh Mister Seto Kaiba..." he said in a light sing-song voice.

Kaiba must have come, because a deep, and familiar, voice answered him. "What." he said flatly.

"Mister Seto Kaiba, get that discusting creature out of here this instant!" he said in a high pitched voice.

Yugi smiled. He felt like bursting out laughing! Kaiba? taking orders from someone like _that_? He felt like rolling on the floor and dying! and it was even harder not to laugh out loud when Kaiba and the man got in an arguement.

"No." Kaiba said flatly.

"No?" the man asked.

"No. I'm not going to. It's a cat for crying out loud, stop being a baby, or do you want me to tell your little 'friend'." he replied.

The man stopped playing around, but only for an instant. "Kaiba, get that cat out of here before _I_ do something that I'll regret later on." he said

silence.

"Fine, I'll take the stupid cat away, but I _better_ get something in return for this." he said.

the man chuckled, and, in a barely audible voice, said, "Yeah right. In you're dreams kid."

Suddenly, Yugi didn't feel like laughing anymore. Even though it was funny to see, or rather hear, Kaiba being ordered around, he felt a small pang of sorrow. Kaiba was here because of _him._ in fact, everyone was. Marik and his family, Kaiba, Pegasus, and even Bakura.

It was all his fault, and he didn't know anyway to help, let alone _fix_ the situation they were in. Atleast... not yet anyway.

**Sorry for the insanely long chapter, it took me a while to figure out just exactly what I wanted to put in this chapter. I hope you all like that funny Kaiba moment :P there will be more of that in the next chapter for sure! :D **

**Like? Review? Suggest this to friends? Thank you! **


	8. Chapter 7

**Well... I had drawn a picture of Sora for you, but I don't know how to show you, if you want to see it go to dA and search 'Sora Okino' it should pop up right away, and again POV from both Atem and Yugi, actually, this might be how it is from now on, unless, for some stupid reason I change my mind :P anyway, as I promised, more funny stuff :D **

**Sorry for the long wait!**

**Enjoy~**

**Atem's POV**

Tea, Tristan, and Joey all stared at the Pharaoh.

"What do 'ya mean by that pal?" Joey asked. for once, Joey was serious.

the Pharaoh sighed. "Yugi's been keeping things from me lately, that's why I agreed with Tristan, and-"

he was cute off abruptly by Tea,

"So, your suggesting that something was seriously bothering Yugi?" she asked.

Yami nodded. "Yes. Ever since I suspected this, he's been self-consious, and he keeps his thoughts to himself."

He sighed. "I'm not really sure why he was doing that, he knows that he can always turn to me when there's something wrong. But it bothers me that he's been keeping his thoughts to himself. He normally doesn't do that." Yami said.

Tristan, Joey, and Tea didn't say anything, they knew that the Pharaoh was still grieving, and they didn't want to upset him more.

Tristan sighed, "Well, since this isn't really productive at the moment, why don't we-"

he was cut off by a sharp loud squeak of wheels.

Everyone's attention was diverted to a knock at the door.

Tea slowly got to her feet and walked up to the door, she looked through the peep hole and then opened the door.

It was pouring down rain outside, no one had noticed this before, they were so absorbed into what Yami was telling them, that they didn't notice the distant rumbles of thunder.

When Tea eased the door open, Tristan and Joey all gaped in shock. It was one of the Kaiba Corp. Officers.

"Hello?" Tea asked.

The man nodded, "Yes, is Mr. Muto here? he wasn't at his house, and his grandfather said he might be here." he told her.

Yami visibly winsed at the mention of his young friend, but he stood anyway.

"I'm here." he told the man as he walked towards the front door.

The man held out his hand, "The name's Raiden." he said.

Yami took his hand and gave him a handshake. "Yugi Muto." he said.

Joey and Tristan looked over at Tea, and they saw concern in her eyes. _Must be because he has to introduce himself as Yugi, it is his body after all..._ Tristan thought.

Raiden was whispering urgently to Yami. By now Tristan and Joey were standing beside Tea, they were too far away to hear what they were saying, but Tea had guessed that Yami was probably needed. _But what for? _she wondered.

Her thoughts snapped to the present when Yami had motioned for Tea, Tristan and Joey to follow them outside into the pouring rain to a Limo that was parked out front of Tea's house.

Raiden slowly came to a stop just outside the Kaiba Corp. building.

He got out and opened the door for everyone to so they could get out as well.

"Alright, follow me please." he said, and he walked towards the entrance.

Everyone followed Raiden slowly.

Tea leaned over towards Yami and whispered. "Where is he taking us?"

Yami leaned toward her and replied to her question in a whisper. "He's taking us to Mokuba."

Tea grew a little confused, and when Yami saw this he explained further. "Since Kaiba has gone missing, I don't doubt that Mokuba must be feeling awful, I'm afraid I already know what he's going to ask, but I have a feeling I won't be able to help him." he said in a small sigh.

Tea nodded slowly. _I forgot that the Pharaoh said that Kaiba went missing. _she looked up at the big Kaiba Corp. building. _Mokuba must feel lonely and afraid. If I were him, I would have called us here too..._ she trailed off.

"Here." Raiden said when he came to a door.

Everyone could hear faint arguing and complaining coming from within.

Raiden knocked on the door, and the complaining automatically stopped.

The door opened a crack, probably to check who was there, and then opened at the sight of Raiden.

Mokuba stood there in the doorway.

Yami's eyes widened when he realized this was Kaiba's meeting area.

"Tea, Tristan, Joey, Yugi, you're all here!" Mokuba said with a relieved expression.

He then turned around to the table with many staff members seated.

"Alright everyone, time to get back to work." he said.

there was a sudden spout of angry complaints from everyone, their voices rising so they could all be heard over eachother.

Mokuba gave an angry sigh, and put his hands on his ears. It was getting _way_ too loud.

"NOW!" he shouted.

everyone seated immediately stopped talking, then, slowly, they all got up from their seats, dark mutters came here and there as they exited the meeting room.

Mokuba groaned inwardly and motioned for Yami and his friends to sit at the table.

Raiden was no where to be found, but that didn't really matter at the moment.

Mokuba sat down at the end chair, while the others found their place.

Yami looked at Mokuba with a curious, yet knowing, look.

Mokuba sighed. "Yugi..." he started.

Yami closed his eyes. "Mokuba, i know... your brother has gone missing."

Mokuba's eyes lit with surprise, then faded to wonder.

"Have you seen him Yugi?" he asked.

Tea suddenly interupted.

"Stop it Mokuba. Stop calling him that." she said sharply, though not really meaning to.

Everyone looked at her a little shocked, including Yami.

"Tea... it's alright." Yami said.

Tea shook her head. "It's not fair that people torture you by-" she was cut off,

"They don't torture me Tea, it's really alright." Yami said.

Mokuba was listening to this conversation, and then realized that Yugi wasn't really acting like himself. He was more formal, and older sounding, and his thoughts drove him back to when Tea and Joey had been captured.

Back then, Marik was still evil, he had taken over both of their minds, but before the battle had happened, Yugi had told Kaiba and him about the Mellennium Items, and then he said something about a spirit inside the puzzle...

Mokuba suddenly became aware of everyone staring at him, and he looked down at his hands avoiding their gazes.

"Mokuba? what did you want to talk to us about?" Yami asked. "there's more to Kaiba going missing isn't there..." he said.

Mokuba closed his eyes, fighting back tears.

_I can't start thinking like that. I know that Seto would want me to be better than that. I have to figure out a way to get him back. But Yugi... wait..._

he thought again about the helicopter ride to the dock, and he recalled Yugi's words. _I'm a spirit trapped in the Mellennium Puzzle, back then, I lived in Ancient Egypt, and I ruled as Pharaoh..._

_Pharaoh?_ he thought. _When Yugi seems to act like he's a lot older than he actually is, does this mean that a Pharaoh has taken over his body?_

"Mokuba!?" Joey screamed at him, immediately snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, sorry!" Mokuba said.

Yami smiled, "It's alright Mokuba, is there something on your mind?" he asked.

Mokuba nodded.

Yami waited expectantly.

"Yugi, I mean..." he trailed off.

Yami nodded. "Yes." he replied.

Mokuba looked up at Yugi, or, the person he didn't really know much about.

"Yugi, are you that other guy that lives in that necklace you always wear?" he suddenly asked.

Yami and everyone all stared at Mokuba blankly.

It was then he realized that his question was completely off topic, and that it wasn't the question he had really meant to ask them.

Yami sighed. "Yes. I am." he said slowly, he didn't really remember if he had told Mokuba that he wasn't really Yugi before... but he was pretty sure that he had at some point in time.

Mokuba nodded. "What's your name?" he asked.

Yami blinked. "I'm not really sure... but you can call me Yami if you'd like." he replied.

Mokuba nodded. "Yami..." he said testing it out.

Yami cleared his throat. "Um... Mokuba... your brother..." he said trying to veer the conversation in the right direction.

Mokuba sighed. "As you said, he's gone missing. I haven't had any clue where he's gone, and i'm afraid... well... that he won't ever come back..." he said sorrowfully.

Yami quickly shook his head. "Mokuba, that's not the case. He didn't run away or anything like that..." he quickly trailed off.

Mokuba looked up at Yami with hope in his eyes. "You know where he's gone then?" he asked.

Yami shook his head slowly. "No Mokuba... i'm afraid that Kaiba was taken." he said.

Mokuba's eyes widened. "Taken? by who? how do you know this? were you there?"

Tea rested her hand on Mokuba's shoulders, telling him to go slower with his questions.

**Yugi's POV**

"What-" he pointed towards the floor, "-is that?" he asked.

Sora looked at the floor where he was pointing. It was one of Yugi's shoes, it must have fallen off. Struggling not to panic she quickly thought of something.

"I borrowed it from Kali's brother." she said instantly, well, it was actually the first thing that popped into her head.

"Kali's brother?" he asked. "You mean little Shiro?" he asked. "Why, pray tell, did you decide to do that?" he said.

"An experiment." she said instantly, also something that came to her head.

"What experiment?" he asked. Sora rolled her eyes.

He always needed to know everything.

"An experiment." Sora said.

The man glared at her. "Mira, I know that it's an experiment, but _what_ is the experiment about?" he seemed to have struggled to stay calm, but it didn't seem to work out the way the man had hoped.

"None of your business." Sora said.

The man glared at her again. "Mira, so help me I will-" He was cut off by Sora,

"You'll what?" she said squinting her eyes.

"You'll throw a book at me?" she said.

The man, clearly flustered, turned and stalked out of the room.

Sora sighed in relief as the man left. She walked over and closed the door and locked it.

She faintly heard a small shuffle from the closet, she blushed a little, and opened the closet door.

Yugi looked up at Sora as she opened the door.

He gave a little smile and hopped out of the closet, then bent down and grabbed his shoe that had fallen when he was dragged across the room.

"So, what now?" he asked the girl curiously.

Sora sat down on the couch where Yugi had slept the night before, and thought for a moment.

"I don't know." she said thoughtfully.

"Hmmm..." he said, then he stood in front of her. "Sora, do you think there is some way to communicate with Kaiba?" he asked.

Sora looked up a little startled. "Kaiba? you know him then?" she asked.

Yugi nodded. "Yeah, he's the owner of Kaiba Corp."

Sora looked a little confused. "Owner?" she asked. "That can't be, Kaiba Corperation doesn't exist, or atleast, anymore." she murmered.

Yugi's eyes grew wide. "Doesn't exist? what are you talking about? of course it exists, unless you've never been to Domino City..." he said trailing off.

Sora, at this point looked majorly confused. "Yugi, We _are_ in Domino City, but the Kaiba Corp building was destroyed by a fire almost 4 years ago, killing everyone." she stated.

Yugi's eyes grew wild, "No! that's not true! I was at Kaiba Corp only a few days ago!" he exclaimed.

Sora shook her head. "No, you're wrong, I saw the ruins of that building that day." she said.

Yugi couldn't believe what he was hearing. He _had_ to talk to Kaiba now...

"Sora, right?"

Sora nodded. "Sora Okino." she said

Yugi smiled a little, "I like that name." he told her.

She blushed slightly, "Thank you." she said.

"Sora, do you think it's possible for me to talk to Kaiba?" Yugi asked.

Sora blinked, "Well..." she started. "What do want with him?" she asked.

Yugi got on his knees infront of her. "I have to talk to him, it's important.." he said.

Sora sighed, "I guess, but he's such a tattler, he'll give me away." she told him.

Yugi thought for a moment. "Well, why don't you act like Mira then?" he suggested.

"Hmmm..." she said. "I think if I keep my distance, he won't notice as much." she said thinking out loud, then she quickly nodded and stood up, Yugi stood as well.

"Here, get behind the couch, i'll go get him." she said, and walked out the door.

Yugi sat quietly behind the couch, with Sora gone, he had time to think about things a bit more.

_If Kaiba is here, then surely the others must be here as well..._ he thought.

_But wait, if what Sora said about Kaiba Corp being burned down is true, then how is Kaiba here? I know he's the owner of Kaiba Corp, that's for sure, but wouldn't he be dead if he was in that building? what if he was the only survivor?_ he closed his eyes, trying to imagine what could have happened, but he couldn't. He hadn't even been outside, and when he had first met Mira, it certainly wasn't here, it was in a white room, with white, well, everything.

He wanted so desperately to be home, and safe with his friends, but with everything that had happened, he knew that probably wouldn't happen anytime soon.

And, who knows how many of his friends were here. From what Sora had told him, she must have known Kaiba for quite a while, considering that she knew what he was like. Which brought up questions to his mind.

_What if it didn't matter what i did? what if my friends were being taken days before Mira and I had even met? if thats so, then what was their purpose for bringing everyone here? I have to find out!_

Just then, the door slowly opened, footsteps sounded, and the door closed.

"Yugi, come out." Sora said, and Yugi did.

When Yugi appeared behind the couch, he saw Sora with not one, but _two_ people behind her.

Yugi was about to say something, but Kaiba pushed his way past Sora,

"Yugi? what are you doing here?" he asked.

Before Yugi could answer, someone else pushed past Sora, to stand infront of Kaiba.

Yugi, in a way, was a little surprised, he certainly didn't expect _him_ to tag along with Kaiba.

The man smirked.

The people Sora had brought with her, was Kaiba and Bakura.

Bakura looked at Yugi. No, he _stared_ at Yugi. Yugi didn't know why, but he had assumed that Bakura was trying to make him feel uncomfortable, which was working quite well.

Yugi sighed.

Kaiba pushed Bakura over, and Bakura landed on the ground with a thump.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" he complained,

but Kaiba ignored him, and instead, walked towards the couch where Yugi was. He was rather confused on what Yugi was doing here, but he had assumed that Yugi had been kidnapped like everyone else.

"Yugi. Why are you wasting my time by calling me here?" he said in his non-emotional tone.

Yugi sighed, "Sit down-" he pointed towards the couch, and indicated for Bakura to do the same. "-and i'll tell you why." he finished.

**Hey, sorry for the extremely long chapter, I didn't mean for it to go on like this.. don't worry, the next chapter will be better, I do have to admit though, it was kinda hard to get Mokuba to realize that Yugi was missing and that Yami took his place...**

**well,**

**Review? Like? Favorite? do what you gotta do! :P**

**i'll be writing the next chapter unless you tell me not to, and if that's the case, i'll discontinue it and put up something else.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Sorry Guys... School started a few days ago so i was kinda caught up in the moment i guess... Sorry for the late update, i hope you all enjoy this chapter and I hope to get more reviews and likes!****And guys, i'm sorry I really didn't elaborate on the contest. I meant the situation, and what Mira will do. **

**Ex. Mira will be tricky, I think Mira could walk in on Yugi and Sora, and pretend she's someone else.**

**Atem's POV**

Yami sighed.

"Yes Mokuba, he was taken. But I don't know where or by whom he was taken by..." he trailed off.

Mokuba went silent.

_I wonder what must be going through his mind... he just lost his brother and there are so many responsibilities he has to take on without him... _Yami thought.

"So... You don't know where he is then...?" Mokuba said slowly.

Yami nodded. "No... sorry I don't..."

Mokuba nodded and stood up. "Alright then, will you help me find him?" he asked.

Yami and his friends all nodded.

"Of course we'll help you, but we don't know where to even begin." Tristan stated.

Mokuba thought for a moment. "Alright then, lets go to the last place where he was last seen." he suggested.

Yami nodded. "If we go there, we may find clues to where Yugi is as well!" he half-shouted in delight.

Mokuba still seemed a bit confused, but then his eyes lit up when he realized that this was the chance to ask them about what his brother told him the day of his disappearance.

"Guys..." he started.

Yami and his friends all looked over at Mokuba with curious eyes.

"Seto said something to me that confused me... it was the last thing he told me before he left..." he said.

Yami leaned over the table a bit to hear what Mokuba had to say.

Mokuba saw his interest and leaned forward so that everyone could hear, he had to whisper it because he didn't want anyone else to hear.

"Well..." he started. "Seto told me that..." he paused for a while trying to figure out how to put into words what his brother had told him.

Mokuba suddenly shook his head and reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

Yami tilted his head questioningly, but then he realized that Seto Kaiba must have left a note for his brother.

Mokuba carefully unfolded the paper and shakily passed it over to Yami.

Yami took the paper and started to read it, his eyes grew round slowly as he read further.

Tea leaned over in attempt to read some of it, but she couldn't really make out what it was from a distance.

"What's it say?" she piped up.

Yami stopped reading and put the paper down, then he turned to Mokuba. "Is it alright if I read it out loud?" he asked.

Mokuba hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. "Yes, but quietly... I don't want anyone else to hear." he replied.

Yami nodded and picked the piece of paper back up.

"This is what it says:  
_Dear Mokuba, i'm sorry to have left so early this morning without saying any goodbyes. I know that you'll take care of things while i'm gone, but just a fair warning... I may be a little late tonight, I've discovered a way to travel through time, There are certain people I must visit so I can conduct buisness with them, Don't worry, if anything happens I'm sure the geek squad will come running... but I don't expect them to be able to do much. As it turns out these people are an extremely rich company... or so i'm told. Anyway, i'm supposed to meet someone named... Mira. Yeah, I think that's her name. But anyway, i'll try to be back some time tonight. Also don't forget that we have to meet Mr. Muto at the Game Shop tomorrow, I have some... unfinished buisness to attend to. Anyway, stay safe Mokuba, I don't wanna have to go on a scavenger hunt to find you. See you later. ~ Seto _"

Tea's eyes widened. "Hey Pharaoh... didn't you say that Yugi said something about a 'Mira' person?" she asked.

Yami nodded absently.

Joey and Tristan were both silent for a moment, then Joey swiveled over in his chair to face Mokuba.

"So, where did Kaiba need to meet this person?" he asked.

Mokuba shrugged. "I don't know, but I think I know someone who might." he said.

Yami glanced up at Mokuba, then walked over to him. "Mokuba, could you take us to that person? If we have to start looking for Yugi and your brother, then the place where he met Mira should give us some clues as to where they are."

Mokuba nodded and signaled everyone to follow him out of the meeting room and down the hall.

**Yugi's POV**

Yugi plopped himself down next to Bakura and Kaiba.

Bakura shuffled away a little so that he was further from everyone around him, then, before Yugi could speak, he interrupted him.

"Why the hell am I here?" he asked.

Yugi blinked.

Sora did a small sigh from the doorway, which caused all of them to look up.

"I told him to come because I thought that he should hear what you have to say, he can be helpful... sometimes." she said.

Bakura scowled at her.

Yugi did an inner sigh, it was always so complicated when he was around Bakura, he wished very much that Ryou was here instead. But of course, since he hadn't really left the room yet, he didn't quite know where he was.

_Wait... isn't Ryou here with us? in his own body? if that's so, then I can ask Bakura to get Ryou out here instead! somehow, I can't help but wonder if Sora just confused Ryou with Bakura..._

"Hello?" Sora waved a hand in front of his face, which caused Yugi to jump a little.

"You sure do zone out a lot..." she said flatly.

Yugi smiled. "Yeah... sorry about that..." he apologized.

Sora just shook her head and backed away.

Yugi then turned to Bakura. "Hey... Bakura?" he started. Bakura just scowled at Yugi, and when he didn't reply, Yugi continued with his question. "Do you think I can speak to Ryou for a while?" he asked politely.

Bakura's scowl deepened.

"How the bloody hell am I supposed to know where he is?!" he shouted.

It took a few moments for his words to sink in. "...so, Ryou isn't here?" he asked.

"No bloody kidding you little-" Bakura was cut off by Sora who interrupted.

"No, he isn't. Don't you remember? Everyone who has arrived in spirit form that are somehow useful to us, has gained their own body in which to freely move about, So, When both Ryou and Bakura arrived, they both had different bodies that were given to them so that both of them can be useful in different places at the same time." she stated simply.

Yugi's eyes widened. _My own... body? but... I already have my own body! and that's where the Pharaoh is! I must talk to him! immediately!_

"Yugi... your zoning again." Kaiba said bluntly.

Yugi jumped again. "Sorry..." he muttered.

"now." Kaiba began. "What have you to tell us?" he asked.

Yugi took a deep breath.

"Well... to begin with, I know that i'm probably the reason that... well... you all are here." he said in a small voice.

"Beg your pardon?" Bakura asked in a harsh tone as he leaned in closer to hear.

Yugi looked down at the ground. "Yeah.. I think i'm the reason your all here." he said again.

Kaiba grunted. "Well... if your not sure, as that other you." he said simply.

A sad look crept across Yugi's face, "I can't... he's not here." he said.

"Well then, why do you need to talk to _me _then?" he asked.

Yugi shifted his position so he was looking directly at Kaiba.

"Well... I know that you're good with technology, and, your the smartest person here that I actually know... So..." he shifted his position uncomfortably, unable to put into words what he was asking.

"You want me to figure a way out of here?" Seto guessed.

Yugi shook his head, then nodded, then shook his head again. "Well... Yes, and No." he replied.

Both Kaiba and Bakura looked at him with curious expressions.

"What do you mean Yes and No?" Kaiba asked.

"Well, I think this has something to do with what I told Mira..." He said in a sad voice.

_I hate myself for telling her that, but no matter how much I want to take it back, I just can't... what's been said, is said, and every time I even bring this up to myself, or tell someone else, I repeatedly punch myself for what i've done... and now, there's absolutely no way that I can fix this, And... i'm afraid. I... didn't want to tell anyone, i guess, for fear of loosing their trust... but now that i'm here, I know that I probably should have told them, and put up with whatever shunning, or hatred that would be directed towards me. I deserve it, I deserve all the hatred and distrust. I let everyone down. Shadi. The Pharaoh. My friends..._

"Zoning." Sora murmered in Yugi's ear.

Yugi nodded again, his expression told everyone that, once again, he was sorry.

"What _did_ you tell Mira?" Sora asked, then she went pink.

_Oh no! I've blown my cover!_ and she did a face palm.

Seto snorted. "Oh come on Sora, Bakura and I know you, so don't go all 'i'm Mira so follow my orders' on us. It really is quite annoying if you ask me."

Sora looked down at her feet.

"i'm sorry." she said in a small whisper.

**Atem's POV**

Yami and everyone, including Mokuba, made their way over to a barn-shaped house. The only difference, he noticed, was that the house was brown instead of white and red, and there were no animals surrounding it, or even inside it.

"here is where they met." Mokuba said.

Tea looked at Mokuba questioningly. "This place? You sure?" she asked.

Mokuba nodded. "Yeah, this is the place where Roland said he'd seen Seto walk into when he dropped him off." he replied.

"Hmmm." Yami thought as he walked up to the entrance.

His friends followed him, but he held them all back with the backs of his hands.

"This could be the place where Kaiba disappeared." He reminded them.

"It could be a trap." he added.

They all nodded in understanding.

"Let me go in first." he told them, but, without looking at them, he knew Tea or Joey would object, which, they did.

"No i'll go in." Joey said.

"No, you can't go in either Joey." Tea chipped in.

Yami felt Tristan give an irritated sigh. "Is there some way we can all see in there without having to go in?" he asked.

Yami thought for a moment. "No... There aren't any windows, and, i'm not even sure if its safe enough to even open the doors." he stated.

"There's got to be some way then." Joey said.

Yami gave a forceful sigh. "Please, just let me, i'll be careful I promise, and you have to remember, I do feel somewhat responsible for the disappearance of both Yugi and Kaiba." he stated.

Tea, Tristan, and Joey all visibly flinched, they all knew that talking about Yugi was a sensitive subject for the Pharaoh at the moment.

Yami didn't give them enough time to think about what he said before he stepped up to the barn looking house.

He slowly opened the door, stepped in, and quickly shut it behind him before anyone could come in with him. He quickly searched the door to see if there was a lock. He didn't want them to come in if it really was a trap and he was unable to come.

He found the lock, and locked the door.

As quickly as he had gotten in, there were automatic pounds and shouts from behind the door.

"Pharaoh! No!" Tea shouted.

"Let us in!" Tristan added.

Joey and Mokuba didn't say anything, but he assumed that Joey was already madly pounding and trying to break down the door, Mokuba, he wasn't really sure about, perhaps he was standing a little further away wondering what to do?

He gave a little sigh and stepped away from the door, he was fairly certain that the door was sturdy enough to last without him using his strength to hold it in place.

He tore his gaze from the door, and looked at his surroundings. He couldn't really see anything, so he inched around with his hands infront of him bracing the walls and searching for the light switch. He didn't know what lay at his feet, or anywhere near him, he felt he needed the light switch to do anything useful.

He eventually found the switch, and he flicked the light on. He gasped slightly and covered his eyes from the brightness.

As big as this house was, whenever the light was off it was pitch black, but when the light was on it was blinding.

Eventually his eyes adjusted to the brightness, and then he could fully see.

The pounding at the door, he noticed, had stopped. He assumed they were looking for another way to get in, and if they found one, they could be in danger. He had to investigate quickly.

As he scanned the room he had been faintly surprised.

He was in a white room. Everything was white, the tables, cabinets, sinks, everything.

All of a sudden there was a sound he didn't expect to hear.

Someone was in there with him.

Was it Mira? was it Yugi even? or was it just a criminal hiding? he didn't know.

"Hello?" he shouted. His words echoed off the walls.

There was a nother sound, a stomp this time.

"Oh. My Pharaoh, it's you." came a familiar voice.

It was Shadi.

"Shadi?" Yami asked a little confused.

Shadi bowed his head. "Yes, i traced the last location of the last person, other than Yugi, that was captured." he replied.

Yami nodded. "Have you discovered anything?" he asked.

Shadi nodded slowly. "Yes. I think I may have." he replied.

Yami gestured for Shadi to show him the way, and show him the way he did.

Shadi weaved his way left and right around each corner they came across.

"Here." he said after a few minutes.

There was a white table, and on it sat a crystal ball of sorts, only, this wasn't exactly like a crystal ball, it looked like it yes, but Yami felt that it was more.

"This-" Shadi gestured towards the ball, "-Is what appears to be an eyeglass. It looks like something you would use to get your fortune told, but it seems to be a peek into a different world... or a different time by my standards." Shadi told him.

The Pharaoh thought for a moment. " A different time?" he asked.

Shadi nodded. "My opinion, but what does it look like to you?" he asked.

The Pharaoh stepped up to the table, and peered into it.

He let out a squeal of surprise and jumped, he tripped over the white chair and when tumbling backwards.

Shadi walked over to Yami and reached down a hand to help him up.

The Pharaoh accepted it gladly.

"What did you see my Pharaoh?" he asked curiously.

He shook his head. "I just..." he said trailing off, then he scrambled over to look into the ball again to confirm what he had seen, and sure enough, he was looking into a room, Bakura, Seto Kaiba, Yugi, and some girl he'd never seen before all sat down on a couch in deep discussion.

Yami pointed at Yugi and Kaiba. "Do you see them?" he asked.

Shadi walked up behind him, and peered in. "No. All I see is a pyramid in the middle of a desert." he replied slowly.

The Pharaoh blinked, and thought for a moment.

"Maybe it shows us what we want?" he suggested.

Shadi slowly nodded his head in agreement. "Possibly." he replied.

The Pharaoh turned back to the crystal ball.

"You think Yugi can hear me?" he asked suddenly.

Shadi shrugged, "Anything's possible I suppose." he replied.

Yami nodded, and looked at Yugi's figure within the crystal ball.

"Yugi!?" he shouted into it questioningly.

_Please... hear me! I need to know where you are! please... listen, listen carefully, hear me, hear my words. Answer me._ he thought hard.

**Again, sorry for the late update, Apologies all around, Please Like and Review!**

**Oh, and please, I need to know if it's getting a bit boring, then that way, I can add in a twist or something.**

**READ**

**I am doing a contest, whoever can guess correctly gets a free one-shot of whatever they want, this Includes Romance between Bakura and Marik... or whatever you want.**

**The contest: Who can guess what happens when Mira comes into the picture? Will she be friendly or will she be mean? or even tricky? **

**To Answer: You must Review or PM me. **

**Thank you for reading!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! **

**Since I don't have many reviews yet, Mira won't come in just yet. So PLEASE REVIEW or PM me :D**

**oh, and I may start to have other peoples POV's in here too... just to let you know...**

**Yugi's POV**

Yugi looked up in alarm.

_Who was that? What's going on!?_ he thought confusedly.

Sora looked up at Yugi, and wasn't surprised in the least that he was, once again, zoning out on this whole thing.

_So, Why did I even bother getting these people, and risk getting us all killed when he doesn't even have anything to say?_ she asked herself.

Suddenly she snapped herself out of her thoughts when she realized that Yugi wasn't zoning at all... He was terrified. Of... something.

Bakura and Seto Kaiba were arguing with eachother over what Sora should do for them since she had an advantage of looking exactly like Mira.

Sora's eyes softened when she stood in front of Yugi.

"Yugi? what's wrong?" she asked.

Yugi's head shot up.  
"Nothing." he replied quickly, But Sora gave him a quizzical look.

"You seemed scared... is everything alright?" she asked him.

He looked down towards his lap.

"Well... No, nevermind, it's nothing important." he replied.

He suddenly jumped when he heard a voice calling out to him again.

_Please... hear me! I need to know where you are! please... listen, listen carefully, hear me, hear my words. Answer me. _The voice continued.

Yugi jumped to his feet startled by how desperate it sounded, and how loud it was as well.

Bakura and Seto Kaiba stopped arguing and looked up at him, both with curious expressions on their faces.

Sora looked at him with wide eyes, she was frightened for Yugi, and wanted to help him, but she didn't know how to.

"H-Hello?" Yugi called out when the room went silent.

There was nothing, then-

_What about my thoughts? can you hear them Yugi?_ The voice asked questioningly.

Yugi's eyes grew wide at the mention of his name. "Hello? Who's there?" He called out.

There was silence for a few moments, then the voice sounded again.

_Yugi, it's me, Yami... can you hear me through my thoughts?_

Yugi ran around the room, startling Bakura, Seto Kaiba, and Sora.

"Yugi, what the hell are you doing?" Bakura asked.

"Can't you hear that?" he replied while running around the room, searching every little nook and cranny.

"Hear what?" Kaiba asked.

Yugi stopped searching and looked at them.

"So... you can't hear that voice...?" he asked.

"What voice?" Sora replied.

Yugi sighed, "I hear a voice, I think it's Yami, I mean he _said_ it was him, but i'm not sure..."

Sora, Kaiba, and Bakura all had quizzical looks on their faces.

Yugi's gaze seemed to burn into them with desperation, hoping that he wouldn't have to solve just this on his own. Then his eyes shifted to Bakura.

"Bakura?" he asked.

Bakura just shook his head. "No, I don't hear anything, and I swear to the gods that if I hear anyone else, I'll tear someone in half." he replied bluntly.

Yugi blinked.

"I guess i'm on my own then..." he said slowly, but Sora slowly made her way over to where Yugi was standing, and clutched his arm with her hand. "I'll help. You don't have to do it on your own if you don't want to... I don't like being here as it is, I just want to go home." She replied.

Yugi looked at her confusedly. "Go home? What do you mean? I thought this _was_ your home..." he said.

Sora shrugged her shoulders. "While it's true that I live here, I was also raised here with my sister, Mira. I have friends and all, but, the only difference between Mira and I, and them, is that... well... I'm not exactly sure I _was_ born here." she stated.

Yugi raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What makes you say that?" he asked.

Sora looked at her feet. "I..." she started, then, all of a sudden she got this far-away look in her eyes. "I... Remember something... I can't..." she kept trailing off.

Kaiba cleared his throat telling them both that they were still there, which, in turn, snapped Sora out of her thoughts.

"Well... if your quite done with that, then I guess it's time for us to leave." Kaiba replied.

Bakura grudingly agreed.

Yugi understood. There wasn't really any reason for them to go on talking with eachother when there was nothing to say.

_Yugi? can you still hear me?_

Yugi looked up as he heard the voice.

"Yami?" he asked out loud.

Bakura, Kaiba and Sora looked at him questioningly, but then disregarded it.

"Goodbye guys, I'll look for you if something important comes up." Sora told them in a whisper while Yugi roamed around the room.

Both Bakura and Kaiba grunted and made their way out the door.

Sora closed the door behind her and turned to see Yugi staring intently up at the ceiling.

_Yes, it's me. Where are you? I... can't... I need to find you._ the voice continued.

**Atem's POV**

(Brief backstep)

Yami stared into the crystal ball, he was quite baffled as to why, or even _how_ Yugi was responding to him, but it was only through thought.

"My Pharaoh? are you alright?" Shadi said in a low voice.

Yami nodded absently.

Shadi was wondering what was going through his mind, but he decided against asking in case he interrupted his train of thought.

_Yugi, It's me, Yami, can you hear me through my thoughts? _He thought.

He thought it was interesting that he could talk to Yugi since he had no idea where he was, and the only trace of his friends presence was that of a while ago. Telling Yami that his young friend was once here, a while ago, but it was fading fast.

He heaved a small sigh.

_I wonder if Yugi can hear my thoughts because their directed towards him... But how would that work? if he can hear me through my thoughts, then is it possible that he can hear me now?_ He asked himself.

As he looked into the crystal ball he saw Yugi walking around the room aimlessly.

_Yugi? can you still hear me? _he thought to him.

_Yami?_ came the small voice of his friend, it seemed to have been said to his mind and not outloud. He glanced at Shadi to see if he had reacted, but he wasn't surprised in the least that Shadi hadn't moved, nor said a word.

_Yes, it's me. Where are you? I... can't... I need to find you._ he thought desperately.

The crystal ball was small, yet big enough to see things in, and Shadi noticed that time here was standing completely still. No one on the outside of this house would be aware of that.

Yami was watching the crystal ball intently, obsorbing every moment he had with his communication with Yugi.

_I... I'm not really sure where I am..._ Yugi said, it was then that the Pharaoh had noticed that Yugi's lips were moving, but he could only hear his voice in his mind, which struck him as odd at first, but he disregarded it and thought about what Yugi said.

_Is there someone there that you know? someone that would help you?_ Yami thought to him.

The figure in the crystal ball nodded his head.

_Yami, everyone's here... Pegasas, Marik, Ishizu, Odion, Bakura, Marik-_ Yugi was cut off when Yami interrupted him.

_wait Yugi... Bakura _and_ Ryou? what do you mean? isn't Bakura the spirit in the Mellennium ring? wouldn't Bakura and Ryou _share_ a body?_

Yugi shook his head. _No, I don't think you would know how that works... Um... You were passed out when I was taken... so... uhm..._ Yugi stuttered, But Yami no longer had a sense of urgency to get him back, there were questions upon questions running through his mind, and he had no idea how to ask Yugi them all.

_Well.. You see, you remember that guy that we faced in that alley way right? _Yugi asked him, and he nodded.

_Well, he's what some people call a "Soul Catcher", The master of that Soul Catcher can order them to scour the city for someone, and once that person is found, the Soul Catchers can automatically rip out anyone's soul no matter how strong or weak their spirit is..._

Yami nodded slowly.

_And then they take them away... _Yami finished for him, _But where do they take you I wonder? it would help a lot if I knew where you were so I can come rescue you..._ he thought sadly.

Yugi gave a small smile, which the Pharaoh noticed thanks to the ball that was on the table.

_Don't worry Yami, I promise i'll find out where I am, infact, I actually haven't left this room yet since i've arrived... _

Yami's concern suddenly grew.

_You're alright though? You've been eating and sleeping?_ he questioned. Yugi nodded.

_Yes, I have, thanks to Sora._ Yugi replied warmly.

_Sora? is she a friend of yours? Remember Yugi, be very, very careful, do you remember what I told you about this? _

Yugi nodded and spoke the words that Yami had always told him, which he had decided to commit to memory.

_Always be careful of who you befriend. _he heard Yugi state flatly. _But Pharaoh, I feel like I can trust Sora with my life, so don't worry about it... With her help, we can get out of here. _he added.

Yami sighed, _Alright. But please try to be careful, I don't want you to get hurt..._

Yugi smiled. _I will, and once we're together again we can deal with Mira-_ Yugi was cut off, but not by anyone this time.

The crystal ball suddenly went black, and a new image began to appear.

_Yugi!? _ the Pharaoh cried out, but he could only watch helplessly as the blackness began to swirl around in a circle to form a circular looking hole within the crystal ball. It was then he realized that he was beginning to see what Shadi was seeing.

He glanced over to his side to see Shadi lost in thought.

"Shadi?" he began. Shadi looked up at him with an all-knowing glint in his eyes.

"My Pharaoh, I have begun to realize why you had seen Yugi, and i'm seeing a black hole." he stated.

Yami tilted his head questioningly.

"It is because that, in this room, time is standing still, but we are standing in the present, or past to what Yugi would find the present."

Yami still looked a little confused, so Shadi elaborated.

"My Pharaoh. Yugi's spirit, along with all of the other Mellennium Items and Chosen Ones, Are in the future, while we-" He guestured towards Yami and himself, "-are standing in the past." he replied.

Yami nodded slowly. "So, Yugi and everyone else were taken to the future?" he asked.

Shadi nodded. "Yes. And it seems, with this black hole-" he motioned with his hand towards the crystal ball, "-All hell is about to break loose."

Tea's POV

Tea heaved a sigh as she saw both Joey and Tristan continually bang, pound, and kick the door that Yami had disappeared into a few seconds ago.

"Guys, stop..." she pleaded.

"No Tea, our buddy's in there all alone, and who knows _what_ could be in there!" Tristan replied stubbornly, and continued to pound on the door.

"Roland!" Mokuba suddenly shouted, and within a blink of an eye, Roland had grabbed the back of both Tristan and Joey's shirts and yanked them away from the door.

Mokuba nodded in satasfaction. "Thanks Roland." he said, and the man just nodded.

Joey and Tristan both felt like they were being choked to death.

"Mokuba... please... put... us... down." Joey struggled to get out the words.

Mokuba nodded to Roland and he released his grip freeing both of the stubborn teens, and both Tristan and Joey gasped and struggled for breath, Tristan seemed to be hypervenalating for some reason, and he collapsed on the ground. Joey, however, felt his stomach growl and he too fell to the ground with grunt.

"Just great... A hungry Joey, and a half-dead Tristan... just my luck." Tea groaned.

Mokuba sighed. "Well... I guess since we can't get in, we should wait out here." He said.

Tea shrugged. "I guess... there's really nothing we can do at the moment..." she replied.

Mokuba nodded to Roland. "Can you take Joey and Tristan to that tree over there?" he asked and pointed to a nearby pine tree.

Roland nodded and dragged the two off towards the tree.

Tea and Mokuba followed, but all of a sudden Tea's phone started ringing. It was a song that reminded her of her dream, to become a dancer.

She stopped for a moment and motioned for Mokuba to continue walking, and Mokuba seemed to have understood and raced the rest of the way to the tree.

she eagerly pulled out her pink flip-phone and opened it up.

"Yami? is that you?" she said in a rush.

"Yami?" came an old gruff reply.

Tea's eyes widened in surprise. "Mr. Muto?" she asked.

"haha, Why hello Tea." the old man replied.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"uhm... well, Yugi didn't come home the last two nights, and I was wondering if he was with you, because I have to tell him some exciting news." he said happily.

"Uhmm..." Tea started. "Well... no, he's not really here with us... but-" Yugi's grandpa cut her off.

"Not with you? do you know where he might be then? I've tried calling his cell phone multiple times, and he didn't answer."

"Uh... I'm not really sure where he is at the moment, but I could try and find him for you if you'd like..." she said trailing off. She knew she was kind of lying to him, but there was some truth to what she had said.

There was silence over the phone for a minute, neither one talked, and Tea began thinking that Grandpa Muto had hung up. Before she could hang up Grandpa's voice came again, only this time with a sad note.

"He's in trouble again isn't he?" he guessed slowly.

Tea couldn't supress a sharp intake of breath.

"I have to say, it seems that every time he's with you and the other two, bad things always seem to happen..." he continued.

"Yes... Yes it does." she replied.

"I take that he's gone somewhere without anyones permission again hasn't he?" he guessed again.

"Well." Tea started. "I don't really know how to say this..." she said trailing off.

"Say what? that he's in danger?" he asked.

Tea shook her head, then she remembered she was on the phone, so he couldn't have seen her.

"No... Well, yeah, he is in danger... but... that's really... not the point." she said rather awkwardly, and it was then that she had realized with a pang, that she would have to be the one to break the news to Grandpa Muto that his grandson had been kidnapped.

"oh..." was all he could reply.

"Mr. Muto... I... i'm very sorry..." Tea started, tears already welling up in her eyes.

"Sorry? Tea... is Yugi hurt?" he asked in scared voice.

"N-no... well, I don't really know to be honest... but..."

"Well, tell me why you're sorry then." Grandpa stated.

"Uh." was all Tea could muster, there was silence for a few more seconds before she took a gulp of air and proceeded to speak.

"Mr. Muto... Yugi's been... kidnapped..." she said trailing off.

Tea could hear a faint squeak of surprise come from the other end of the phone.

"Mr. Muto?" she asked.

"Where are you?" he asked suddenly.

"Uh...we're at barn looking house... why?" she asked.

"Is it that tall red and white buliding that's beside the school?" he asked.

"Yes.. but-" she was cut off when the phone hung up.

_No... If Grandpa comes at the same time Yami gets out... then he'll suspect something... And I can't let him see the Pharaoh when he's like this... Grandpa shouldn't have to see that..._ she thought to herself.

"Tea? Who was that?" Tristan asked. It seems he woke up a while ago.

"Uh... It was Grandpa... He wanted to talk to Yugi..." she said while she walked over.

Both Tristan, Joey, as well as Mokuba looked up with a look of alarm and sorrow.

"Did you tell him? about Yugi I mean...?" Mokuba asked.

Tea looked at down at her feet. "I had to... he had a right to know..." she replied in a sorrowful voice.

Joey's stomach was still growling, but he already had a bag of cheeto's in one hand, and a soda in the other.

"Well... at least he's at home... I don't doubt that he'd make a few calls to other people..." Joey said in between mouthfuls of food.

"About that..." Tea said nervously.

Tristan looked at her with squinted eyes.

"You told him where we were didn't you?" he asked.

Tea slowly nodded. "He asked me where we were, then without warning, he hung up on me... i'm not sure if he's on his way or not, but I really don't want him to encounter the Pharaoh... I told him the truth... That Yugi was kidnapped." she forced herself to say the last words, it hurt her to admit that. She didn't want to believe it for one minute... but it was true, so very true, and the look on the Pharaoh's face said it all, and she hated seeing Yami so grief-stricken. More than anything she wanted Yugi to be safe, and it made her angry that she had no way of knowing if Yugi was alive and well, or laying down in a cold prison dying in agony. The thought made her shudder, she couldn't think of that. So she brushed it aside.

Sorrow painted her face as she sat down, back against the tree shoulder to shoulder with both Tristan and Joey.

_Maybe if I concentrate on future matters, my head'll clear enough for me to think straight._ she told herself.

**Alright, what did you guys think of this chapter? Lord knows I need more reviews... I hardly get them, and I love to hear from my readers what they think about my chapters, and If you guys have questions don't be afraid to PM me, and i'll get back to you!**

**Also, my schedule is changing, so I don't think i'm going to be able to post the next chapter for a while... it will truely be a miracle if I get the next chapter up before next week. **

**A huge thank you to all of my followers and reviewers! I greatly appreciate all of your help in guiding me through this.**

**Thank you DarkHeartInTheSky for helping me with my punctuation... i'm not very good and spelling and grammer :P**

**Until next time! Remember, if you have a question, don't be afraid to ask me ^^**


	11. Chapter 10

**I need more reviewers... I don't know how I'm doing! ahhh! :P **

**please try to remember that I really need feedback on how I'm doing, otherwise I'm at a loss and I won't know whether or not to go on with the story...**

**Hey, I need your guys' opinion... I've been thinking about doing an Epilogue, and a sequel... what do you guys think? PLEASE REVIEW ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, OR ANSWERS TO THE CONTEST. **

**thank you! enjoy!**

**Yugi's POV**

"Pharaoh?" he asked out loud, "Pharaoh, where are you?" he asked.

"Yugi... perhaps you should rest for a while." Sora suggested.

Yugi sighed. "But the Pharaoh... I was talking to him and-"

"Yugi, please." Sora urged kindly. "You shouldn't get too overwhelmed, it's not-" she broke off as Yugi jumped to his feet and raced around the room desperately trying to find the source of the voice.

"Yugi!" She yelled as quietly as she could, but Yugi didn't listen to her.

Yugi reached the doors to the room and pulled on them, but they didn't budge.

"No! Get away from there!" Sora suddenly jumped to her feet and raced towards him, Yugi looked at her in confusion, gripping the doors handles, But something surprised him, he swiftly turned back to the doors, and looked at his hands.

To his horror, there was a yellow stream of light swarming around his tightly gripped hands.

"Sora! Whats going on?" he asked confused.

Yugi's hands slowly turned from a normal tan shade, to a horrifyingly wrinkled blue shade, the skin from his hands drooped a little, and veins started to be seen.

Sora had noticed the yellow stream the moment Yugi set his hands on the door; she grabbed the back of his shirt, and yanked him backwards, causing him to lose his grip on the door handles, With Sora clutching the back of his shirt, and Yugi's seemingly iron grip on the door, when Yugi was free, they both collapsed on the ground.

Yugi's heart was pounding hard, and Sora seemed to be just as scared as he was.

He looked down at his hands, they turned back to that normal tan shade, but they were still drooping, they seemed lifeless, but not.

"Sora?" he asked, and she looked up at him.

"What was that? Why are my hands like this?" he asked her while shoving his hands towards her.

"Uhm..." she began, she didn't know how to start.

Yugi looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Sora sighed, "The door is kind of rigged..." she began.

Yugi cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Rigged?" he asked.

Sora nodded. "Yes, since there are Waythers here, there has to be a system in which only the Royal Family can use. In the beginning, when we didn't have a system, the Waythers were able to escape, so we devised a system in which all doors, personal items, and other things can only be accessed by us." she said.

"Waythers? Royal Family?" Yugi said questioningly.

Sora blinked. "You know... Waythers..." she said. "Do you not know what a Wayther is?" she asked.

Yugi, still wearing a puzzling look, shook his head.

"Hmmn... old terms then? I find that older people still use different terms... Uh, I guess like 'Slaves'." she explained.

Yugi's expression changed from puzzled to a look of understanding and sorrow.

"Why do you have slaves?" he asked.

"Waythers. And, well, I... I actually don't know the answer to that question... I've grown up around the Waythers... Most of them are really nice, but some just spit and refuse to do anything other than take care of themselves and the other Waythers around them..." she said slowly.

Yugi sighed. "Well..." he replied.

Sora looked at Yugi's hands again, they were no longer thrust towards her, but laying in his own lap. They were still wrinkled and saggy, and they now bore freckles here and there.

Sora's eyes flashed for a moment. She didn't know why, but she wasn't really sure why she had forgotten already... what only she could do, and no one else... Mira and her family themselves still puzzled over this fact, but they disregarded it. Before Sora knew completely what she was doing, she found that she had reached for both Yugi's hands. Yugi was a little surprised, but he didn't move nor say a word of protest.

Sora held both the wrinkly hands against her own two, and closed her eyes.

_Heal these hands, they were not meant to be harmed, they are of but pure innocence, and not deserving of this consequence meant for another. Heal these hands of innocence._ she chanted these words over and over in her mind.

Yugi looked down at his hands curiously, He didn't know exactly what Sora was doing, but he was sure that it wouldn't be anything bad.

All of a sudden he gave a little squeak of surprise as he realized that his hands were slowly turning from a wrinkly mess of skin, to what they had been before. A tan perfect hand.

Sora then released Yugi's hands and re-opened her eyes; the look of shock on his face didn't seem to surprise her in the least.

"Sora..." he said wondrously.

Sora only smiled back at him. "Yes, I know. I guess you could say that I'm... a Magician of sorts..." she replied.

**Atem's POV**

The Pharaoh could only stare at Shadi with wide eyes. "Wha-What does that mean?" he asked in a scared voice.

Shadi closed his eyes. "It means, my Pharaoh, you must save the world again. If you don't, the world will fall around us, and at that point, no one can do anything." he answered.

Yami looked at him questioningly.

Shadi gave an exasperated sigh. "Since Yugi is in the future, he could very well disrupt the timeline, causing our future to change, and as he changes, you change, and when you change, the world will be out of balance. That is why it is so important to find him and bring him back home."

The Pharaoh couldn't help but tare his gaze from Shadi, to the crystal ball where he was communicating with Yugi. _That might have been my only chance to ever talk to him... _

"My Pharaoh." Shadi said suddenly, snapping Yami out of his thoughts.

"There is someone else here..." he said cautiously.

Yami whirled around. He looked all around the edges of the room they were now in.

There was a small rattle of chains. "_help me._" the voice called out in a small hoarse whisper.

Yami's eyes widened, and he turned to look at Shadi. Shadi just shrugged his shoulders. "If your going to look my Pharaoh, be cautious. You never know what you could find." he said in a quiet voice.

Yami nodded, "Will you come with me?" he asked.

Shadi nodded. "Of Course my Pharaoh." he replied. Yami nodded. "Alright then, let's go." he murmured.

Yami slowly made his way towards the door, but stopped suddenly when he heard the faint rattle and clanging of the chains he had heard before.

Yami looked back at Shadi to see if he had heard, which, he did.

He turned back to the door. "It's on the other side of this door. Have you gone in this one yet?" he asked in a whisper.

Shadi blinked. "That door was not there before you had entered, so I have no idea what to expect." he whispered back.

Yami wore a concerned look on his face, but he gripped the door handle and creaked open the door slowly.

There was a white flash before his vision, and there was a sudden shrill scream.

Yami looked up in alarm, all that was going through his mind now was to save and rescue the person who was screaming out for help, he couldn't help picturing what the person would be like, according to the screams, it had reminded him of a little girl. _Well, it could be a girl, but the screams from both a boy and a girl seem to always sound the same. _he thought.

"My Pharaoh! Watch out!" Shadi screeched behind him.

Yami turned to look back at Shadi, but he didn't have time. The door he had previously opened flew open and a figure jumped on him knocking him to the ground.

"Shadi!" Yami screamed.

He looked up at Shadi, Shadi's eyes were wild with fear, regret and horror. "Help me!" Yami pleaded.

**Joey's POV**

Joey was sound asleep, he hardly knew where he was anymore, his dream was marvelous. He was in front of an all-you-can-eat buffet. He licked his lips hungrily, he wasn't sure when the last time he had eaten was, but he didn't care, because now, he had a whole buffet to make him feel full again. He grabbed plates and stacked all sorts of food onto it, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, steak, chicken nuggets, and then, when he got to the end of the buffet, he saw a white cake. His eyes glowed, and he reached out to grab it, but then, all of a sudden, shouts and screams surrounded him.

Joey looked around wildly, clutching the food he had on his plate, then, in a blink of an eye, he was waking up in the real world.

Joey scrambled to his feet immediately. He knew something was wrong, he didn't know what, but he had a feeling that Yugi or the Pharaoh were in deep trouble.

_One does not simply just have a dream about food, and then dream of screams of bloody murder all around him!_ he declared to himself.

"Joey?" Tea asked.

He whirled around, concern seeming to spark in his eyes.

"Tea, Tristan. Something's wrong." he said.

Tea, Tristan and Mokuba all scrambled to their feets.

"What is it?" Tea asked.

"I dunno, I just feel that somethings wrong with our little buddy."

"Yugi?" Tristan asked.

Joey shrugged. "Both the Pharaoh and Yugi. I can't really tell." he replied.

"What do you think is going on in there?" Mokuba asked.

"Dunno." Joey replied, and he gave an irritated sigh. "I hate not knowin' what's happening." He added.

Tristan and Tea both nodded their heads.

All of a sudden there was a screech of tires, and everyone's vision shifted from each other to the road.

"What was that?" Mokuba asked.

No one replied.

A small faded red car came barreling down the road, and had screeched to a stop next to the sidewalk, and parked.

An old man with a black bandana wrapped around his head stepped out of the car, and Mokuba and the others all instantly knew who said person was.

It was Grandpa Muto.

No doubt trying to figure out where his grandson was.

Grandpa shut the door to the car and waved at Yugi's friends.

Tea, Joey and Tristan all waved back, but Mokuba leaned back up against the tree.

"Be careful guys, he might go in there." he stated.

Joey nodded. "Yes. we know." he replied.

Mokuba nodded, and slid down to sit pressed up against the tree.

Grandpa Muto made his way towards the group of friends, worry and concern crossing his face all at once.

"Have you gone in yet?" he asked.

Joey shook his head. "No." he replied.

"Hmph." he replied, and started walking towards the entrance to the house.

Joey and Tristan both grabbed the back of Grandpa's shirt at the same time, stopping him in his tracks.

"What do you boys think your doing? let go." he said.

"No. You can't go in there. It might be a trap." Tristan replied.

Grandpa turned. "And what makes you think so?" he asked curiously.

It was then that Joey knew that Grandpa wouldn't go without a full explanation. This would mean that they would have to tell him about the kidnapping, and how Yami, as the spirit inside the Millennium Item, has taken over Yugi's body and had gone into the building to investigate.

Joey gave an exasperated sigh. "Tristan, let 'em go." he told Tristan while loosening his own grip.

Tristan gave him a knowing and sad look in return, and released him, and in turn Joey steered Grandpa back to the tree where Mokuba and Roland were all waiting.

Tea looked up as Joey and Tristan had turned around.

"Your gonna tell him the whole story aren't you." she guessed.

"No choice Tea." Joey replied.

"Hmm." was her only reply.

"What's this all about?" Grandpa asked as Joey plopped him down on the ground.

"That's what we're gonna tell you." Tristan answered.

Grandpa only watched them as Joey, Tristan and Tea all made themselves comfortable, Tea already had a few tears forming in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away.

They all knew that it would be hard telling Grandpa the whole story, specific or not, Tristan and Joey knew that Tea and Grandpa would probably break down into tears in the middle of the story, but that idea didn't bother them.

They knew that what had to be said was going to be said one way or another.

**Grandpa and Duke's POV**

(little back track)

Grandpa hung up the phone, tears trying to spring from his eyes, but he fought them as best as he could.

"Yugi..." he murmured. "Yugi, where did you disappear to?" he asked to no one in particular.

Grandpa gave a small sigh. _I should probably open the shop... I'll close it a little early today so I can go to that house where Yugi's friends are... then maybe we can search for him together, I hope they have at least some clues as to his where abouts._ He thought to himself.

He walked over to the front door, and turned the sign from 'Closed' to 'Open'.

"I hope he's ok." he said out loud.

He walked behind his desk and flipped through a worn out book, he was just getting to a good part when a customer walked in the door.

Grandpa glanced up, and smiled, "Hello, Welcome to the Game Shop how- oh..." he said trailing off, he had stopped because he knew this person, it was Duke Devlin, the owner of the game shop next door to him.

"Hey Gramps, just stopped by to say hi." he said.

Grandpa raised his eye brows, "And why would the owner of a game shop that's next door to another game shop stop by to say hi?" he questioned.

Duke shrugged. "Dunno, I took the day off, we haven't been getting many customers lately, so I gave myself a break for today." he replied.

"Hmmph." Grandpa said.

Duke eyed him curiously. "What?" he asked.

Grandpa shook his head. "Nothing." he replied.

Duke didn't move for a few moments, then he walked up to the counter and layed his elbows on it.

"It looks like your having trouble with customers too." he said.

Grandpa narrowed his eyes.

"Whats your point youngster?" he asked, but he just got a shrug in response.

"So... Where's Yugi and everyone?" he asked.

Grandpa visibly flinched at the mention of his grandson's name, and this was when Duke realized that something was wrong.

His interest increased, and he wanted to stay on the subject, but it was clear that Grandpa wasn't in the mood for the discussion however, because he slapped the book he was reading down on the counter, grabbed his car keys, and stormed out of the Game Shop.

Duke just stared wide-eyed after him. He didn't know what to do now that Grandpa had left him all alone in his shop.

Duke sighed and watched as Grandpa climbed into his red beat up truck, with tires screeching on the road, Grandpa had left.

Duke looked around, He knew that he had hit a nerve, but he didn't expect Grandpa to act like _this_. He sighed again and he flicked the lights off, then, when he got to the door, he flipped the sign from 'Open' back to 'Closed' and he left.

**Guah... sorry, Need more time, I actually find myself more and more trying to focus on my homework instead of this, but I cannntttt. Oh well...**

**Anyway, as I said before, the Contest is still going on, and if you didn't see the example i laid down for you last chapter, i will requote it.**

**(What do you think Mira will be like? Tricky? kind? evil? What do you think she will do when she is introduced?**

**Ex. Mira will be tricky, I think Mira could walk in on Yugi and Sora, and pretend she's someone else.)**


	12. Chapter 11

**Hello! Wow.. uhm, sooo sorry for the long almostawholemonthnotposting thing. I haven't left my room in about that long, well, aside the fact from going to school.  
I hope you all know that I set aside my Homework to finish this chapter, My homework, which is laying next to me, needs to get done now, but later. **

**Enjoy!**

**Yugi's POV**

"A-A magician?" Yugi stuttered. Sora nodded her head, "Yes, although I haven't been practicing lately, so I'm not very good." she replied. Yugi just stood there dumbfounded.

"But Sora. You have a gift." he murmured.

Sora raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What gift?" she asked curiously.

Yugi's eyes widened. "You're a magician Sora!" he cried. "I don't think I know anyone who's a magician, I have Monster card though." he said, and, thankful that he still had his deck in his pocket, pulled it out. He flipped through all of his cards to find the magicians he had.

He pulled out the Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and The Magician of Black Chaos, and showed her the cards.

Sora gasped a little and grabbed for the cards and, carefully, held them in her hands admiring them. "How do you have such old cards!?" she exclaimed.

Yugi tilted his head questioningly. "Old? they're not that old..." he stated.

At that moment, her head shot up and she looked directly into Yugi's violet eyes. "I finally understand now... You- You're from the past..." she breathed out.

"Past?" Yugi asked.

Sora nodded her head. "I have only heard of one person who has all three of these cards in their deck... You're the famous Yugi Muto aren't you?" she questioned.

Yugi blinked. He didn't know how to respond to something like that.

"Uhm.. Uh- I- I guess?" he stuttered.

Suddenly Sora squealed in delight, and started jumping up and down. "Yes!" she cried out every now and then.

Yugi just started at her while she jumped around the room. _Famous? if this is actually the future, then..._ his eyes widened in fear, which, Sora had noticed, for she had stopped jumping and lay her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "Yugi? What's wrong?" she asked.

"N-Nothing." he replied.

Sora's face hardened. "Yugi, please, tell me." she said, "You know you can tell me anything." she added.

Yugi closed his eyes for a brief moment. "I know Sora... But, I've only just realized... If this is the future for me, then I really shouldn't see anything. They could influence my choices in the past, and change the future." he murmured.

Sora still stood there, her face softening. "What kind of changes?" she asked.

Yugi sighed. "uhm.. an example. The Kaiba Corp. building, I know that that's the same building as the one in my time, so what would happen if I convinced Seto Kaiba to move his company to a different location? The fire may never happen, and you probably wouldn't be living here... In fact, with that one example, Your parents could fall in love with other people, and you and your sister wouldn't be alive today..." he stated.

Sora bowed her head in understanding and sorrow. "I get it. But, what about the others? They're new too, and you seem to know them very well." Sora asked.

Yugi nodded. "Yes, they're from the past as well." he stated.

Sora pulled Yugi to the ground as she sat down on the cold hard floor. "Tell me what they do. Maybe I know one of them." she pleaded.

Yugi smiled a little, "Alright." he gave in.

"Let's see..." he thought hard for a moment. "Seto Kaiba, he's the owner of Kaiba Corp. You probably already knew that by now, but, lets see... Ryou Bakura, he's a highschool student at Domino High, we never really get to talk to him much anymore, and Bakura, he's the spirit of the Mellennium Ring, and-"

"Mellennium Ring?" Sora asked, intrigued.

Yugi looked down at his feet. _Probably shouldn't have mentioned that... I'll leave out the magic thing, I don't want anyone to over hear something..._ he thought.

"The Mellennium Ring is like a token from Ancient Egypt... Well, maybe to you, it's like Ancient Ancient Egypt." he said laughing.

Sora laughed a little too.

"So, what about that Marik Ishtar guy and his family?" she asked. "They've been working together closer than I've ever seen before, and they keep muttering to each other." she said, curiosity lighting in her eyes.

Yugi's eyes suddenly lit up, he knew he had to talk to the Ishtar Family. Yes, they _had_ caused trouble in the past, but that was only because Marik was greedy back then, When Marik had time to actually think about it, he realized that he was wrong and became a person someone could look up to.

"What is it?" Sora asked.

Yugi jumped as her voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Uhm, Do you know where they are?" he asked.

Sora thought for a moment. "I think they're upstairs changing sheets and doing laundry..." she said thoughtfully.

"Could you take me to them?" he asked.

Sora looked at Yugi warily. "If you're very very very careful." she warned.

Yugi nodded his head. "Promise."

Sora's eyes filled with relief, "Okay, follow me, and be very quiet. People still think that I'm Mira, and Mira does _not_ like to be thought of as double-crossing."

"Double crossing?" he asked.

Sora nodded. "If everyone thinks that Mira's not kind towards souls like you, then we can't have her being caught being nice... Either that, or they'll figure out its me and I won't be allowed near you to help you." she said sadly.

Yugi took a deep breath. "Okay then, Lead the way Sora."

Sora stared into his eyes for a brief moment, seeing only calm waves of purple that seemed honest and trusting, she then looked away, and proceeded towards the door.

**Atem's POV**

Yami lay on the ground struggling and clutching anything nearby that might be of use, something was holding him down, obscuring his vision, and starving him of oxygen, and he needed the air, He couldn't breathe.

He felt a small shudder on top of him, and the weight instantly vanished; he gasped and choked and spluttered, desperate for that tug of air to fill his lungs.

"Sorry Mister." came a small voice, a child's voice.

As Yami pulled himself up on his elbows, he saw a small boy wearing a pilot looking hat, he was clutching a worn in teddy bear.

Yami blinked, and looked at the small boy, he had a small figure, and looked about 6 or 7 years of age, He had heather colored eyes, and soft, shiny black hair that came down almost to his shoulders.

He let out a chuckle as he realized that he could have been suffocated by a child. "It's quite all right." Yami responded.

The small boy smiled at him, then glanced around warily.

Yami looked around as well, he really wasn't quite surprised when he saw that Shadi had disappeared, for he did that often. What had irritated him the most though, was that Shadi had just watched him be tackled, but he wasn't sure when, or even where to, that Shadi had left.

"What is it you're looking for?" he asked the boy curiously.

The boy's head shot back towards him, he was clearly startled by his question. "Oh... N-nothing." he stuttered.

Yami sighed and got to his feet, only to bend down on his knees in front of the small child.

"You're nervous, there's obviously something that's bothering you." Yami said.

The small boy had a sad glint in his eye, and he looked away.

In a small voice, the boy replied, barely even audible to Yami's ears, but he heard it nevertheless. "I never stop looking."

Yami then stood, and grabbed the boy, he swung one of his legs over the back of his neck, and let the other dangle on the other side, like a piggy back ride, only on his shoulders.

"Mister?" the boy questioned.

Yami only smiled. "Call me Yugi." he replied.

He could hear the boy smile back. "I'm Shiro."

Yami nodded his head. "Nice to meet you Shiro." he replied.

Yami felt Shiro grab onto his shoulders, one hand carried his bear while clutching the side of Yami's shoulder.

"Shiro... Can I know what you're looking for? Maybe I can help you look." he suggested.

He felt Shiro tense on his shoulders, but he instantly relaxed.

"No. That's alright. Do you think you can take me back home?" he asked.

"Where do you live?" he asked.

Shiro shrugged. "All I remember is that my house is close to that corporation building."

"Kaiba Corp?" Yami suggested.

"Yeah.. I think that's it." he said.

"Which building?" he asked.

Shiro's head leaned down and he looked at the side of Yami's face, and Yami turned his head to look directly at Shiro.

"Yugi, it's the _only_ building by Kaiba Corp." he said.

Yami shook his head. "No. There are many, it's not like it's exactly a desert." he replied.

He felt Shiro stiffen. "Could you take me outside? I want to see outside." he said urgently.

"Outside?" Yami questioned, but he shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, we're headed there anyway." he then started walking towards the exit, or what he thought was the exit.

Yami took a few wrong turns here and there, but Shiro guided him through the place, turning him this way and that, it was clear to both of them that Yami was clearly lost, but, lucky enough for Yami, he had Shiro to guide him.

They then saw the exit up ahead, and seeing this a wave of relief washed over Yami.

He tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"You gotta push really hard Yugi." Shiro stated.

Yami nodded, and proceeded to push harder, and eventually it gave way, and he stumbled into the clearing.

Yami's first thought when he got outside, was his friends.

_I wonder where they are... I hope they're ok._ He thought to himself, then- "Look! There he is! and he's okay! wait... who's that with him?"

Yami smiled at his friends, they were together again.

"Hey Yug, who's dat with ya?" Joey asked him as he sprinted over.

Yami could sense how uncomfortable Shiro was, and he decided to introduce him to the rest of the gang to make him feel less of a stranger, but Shiro beat him to it.

"Uh. Hi. M-My name's Shiro..." he started out awkwardly.

"Hello Shiro." Tea said, and Tristan nodded.

Joey hadn't acknowledged the fact that Shiro was speaking, and he kept reeling with questions.

"Yug, what exactly happened in there? We heard a bang and a few crashes from time to time, and we started to get a little worried, what exactly were you doin in there anyway?"

Yami sighed. "It's a long story." was his only reply.

"Anyway," he turned to Shiro. "Shiro, these are my friends, Tristan, Tea, Joey, and I don't know if Mokuba's still here or not, I don't see him..." he trailed off.

Tea's eyes suddenly grew round with worry. "Mokuba and Grandpa went to talk, and-"

"Wait... Grandpa's here!?" Yami exclaimed.

Tea shook her head vigorously. "I tried to tell him multiple times to go home, but he wouldn't listen, he wanted to help us find Yugi."

Yami's eyes glittered with worry and sorrow. "Did you tell him that-"

"Yugi?" came a sudden voice.

Yami turned his head ever so slightly, and he saw an old figure standing in the middle of a pathway that lead to the house they had previously exited.

Shiro glanced nervously from one person to another, both Yami and Grandpa seemed to be having a stare down.

Yami released Shiro when he tried to scramble down off of his shoulders, and Tea took him from Yami.

"Y-Yugi... When did.. How?" he asked.

"Uh... Grandpa, uhm.. I'm not-" he was cut off by Grandpa flinging his arms around him and sobbing into his shirt.

"You got away..." Grandpa muttered.

"Mr. Muto..." Tea began.

Grandpa looked up from Yami's shirt to stare at Tea.

Tea felt a little awkward, but it didn't matter. "Grandpa, that's not Yugi." she said sorrowfully.

Both Grandpa and Shiro gave Tea confused looks, and she elaborated.

"While it's true that this is Yugi's body, it's really not... I mean... It isn't Yugi, This person is the spirit of the Mellennium Puzzle."

Grandpa immediately backed away from Yugi, sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Oh.. Uh, S-Sorry." he muttered.

"Quite alright, I miss him too." Yami said, and he stood there for a moment, wanting to bury his face in a pillow and forget that this ever happened, hope that this was all a dream, no weird stuff, Yugi wasn't missing, Everything was back to normal. But he couldn't, he knew this was reality, and he had to save Yugi before anything bad had happened to him.

There was a cough, and Yami's head snapped to the present, he realized that everyone was looking at him expectantly.

"Uh..." he said blankly.

All of a sudden Shiro snapped his fingers. "So You're the Spirit!" he exclaimed in triumph.

Everyone's gaze fixed on Shiro, and Shiro wanted to melt into a puddle.

"Uh..." Shiro began.

"What do you mean?" Yami asked.

Shiro stared at him for a moment. "You _are_ the famous Spirit of the Mellennium Puzzle aren't you?" he asked.

"Famous?" he said questioningly.

Shiro looked around. "Guah! Forget I said that, please... I'm not- uh, yeah." he said stumbling.

"You're not what?" Tristan asked.

Shiro looked down, ashamed. "I'm not from this timeline." he whispered.

Yami's eyes lit up with understanding, while everyone else was clearly confused, but it didn't matter, what was important for right now, was that they got Yugi back, and they would help Shiro find his way home, and hopefully nothing bad would happen on the way.

**All of my wonderful fantastical readers who read my story, I thank you, I want you all to know that, in certain ways, I make SOME stuff up as I go along, I have the whole plot and main points written down, and I have a tendency to memorize things like that, but I keep them just in case.**

**So, I have a new story out, It's a story about Marik and Bakura, obviously a Romance 'cause that's my favorite shipping. THIEFSHIPPING :D sorry, but anyway, read it, if you want. It's not amazing, but it could almost be rated K, or K+, Language aside. I tried my best.**

**I DO REALIZE THAT MIRA NEEDS TO COME IN SOONER OR LATER, TRUST ME I WILL GET TO THAT I PROMISE, it's just taking a little longer than I thought.**

**Anyway, bear with me, dunno how long you're gonna have to wait for the next chapter, but I'll try to update ASAP :D**

**Love you fans!**

**~N.O.T.F**


	13. Chapter 12

**Uhm, yeah. Another Chapter... I hope it isn't getting boring... It sure feels that way, anyhow, I tried my best, oh! almost forgot, I wanted to ask you all something.**

**I want you all to PM me suggestions for a new story, I want to start something new, like this story, and make it something you guys would actually want to read. I have other stories out, but they really aren't getting a lot of views, so I take it that it isn't really that interesting to read... Uhm, PM me! Thanks a bunch and enjoy this chapter! ^^**

**Yugi's POV**

Yugi slowly inched his way across the hallway, Sora and himself had nearly reached the Laundry Room where the Ishtar family busily worked. He couldn't help but glance at Sora, he had this weird feeling about her, she was nice and all, but he really wasn't sure why this feeling came to him.

Sora was new, well, to him anyway. From what Sora said to him in private, she wasn't born here, and she had grown up with her sister Mira.

Curious as Yugi was about Sora's sister, he had to focus on the now.

Sora tapped her finger on Yugi's shoulder, and Yugi swiveled his head around to look at her.

"this door here." she said in a whisper. Yugi nodded, and peeked around the corner of the nearest door.

All he saw was an open door, and beyond that point, Ishizu and Odion were shoving clothes into the washer and dryer, while Marik was sitting down on a wooden bench folding shirts and putting hangers in the dresses he had to deal with.

Yugi looked back at Sora, and she nodded her head to signal that he could go in, so he did, but before he could go any further Sora had placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be right here for the look out." she whispered.

"Alright, I'll be out as soon as possible so you won't have to wait long." he whispered back to her.

She nodded to him and he moved towards the door with his back pressed firmly up against the wall. When he was near enough, he slowly slipped inside the room and clicked the door shut as softly as he could.

Upon turning around, Ishizu, Odion and Marik all froze in place. They all wore worried looks and looked quite distraught.

"Yugi?" Marik started. Ishizu and Odion exchanged a somewhat knowing glance, and Ishizu stepped forward.

"Yugi, it is indeed nice to see you, but upon coming here, it seems like we're all doomed." she said in a low tone.

"Doomed?" Yugi asked curiously. "How? surely my being here isn't really that important.." he said trailing off.

Odion was suddenly beside the young boy, and rather startled him when he layed a hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

"It is because we need you, the both of you, in a different time." he answered.

Yugi looked up confused. "Time?" he asked.

Odion nodded, and this time Marik stood up and placed the clothes he was folding aside.

"You see Yugi, Something, or I guess now that we know, some_one_ has affected both timelines, we don't exactly know who, but we know that this person has changed these people's lives, saying that he saved people from a recent explosion near Kaiba Corp. and rested a seemingly invisible shield to keep protecting them." Marik said, "Or so the other souls trapped here say, they keep saying that this person wore his hair up, and was exceedingly short..." Mariks eyes seemed to bore into Yugi's soul, as if looking for some form treason. But he found none. Was Marik accusing him? Him of all people? he knew that he had been nothing but kind to each and every person he met, villain or not. So his big question was... What would lead the Ishtar family to suspect a person like him of treason? He knew that he was innocent, unless, under some time, he was unconscious... But he knew that wouldn't be right, he hadn't been unconscious once, not even in his sleep, he was to worried about the Pharaoh... Wait. The Pharaoh!

Was the Ishtar family thinking of him? or was it the Pharaoh they were worried about?

"Yugi?"

Yugi looked up, forced out of his thoughts. "Yes?" he asked warily.

"Can we?" she prompted.

"Uh..." he started, scratching the back of his head. While he was thinking, he must have zoned out, for he had no idea what Ishizu asked.

Odion sighed, guessing.

"Can we see the Pharaoh? we need to speak to him." he asked gently.

Yugi's eyes widened. Were they really looking to the Pharaoh as a traitor? or was it because they actually needed to talk to him?

"Uh.. he's not... here." he started rather awkwardly.

Each and every one of the Ishtar family all gasped, surprised.

"Well, how did you get here without him following? Bakura and Marik both had their spirits following them..." Ishizu trailed off, her eyes glazed with worry.

Marik simply closed his eyes. "Yes. Melvin* is here, and has a body of his own no less."

Odion glanced at Marik for a moment, but then sighed in agreement. "It's true; he goes around killing anyone who even walks past him, it seems." he added.

"Oh." Yugi said.

"Yugi! we gotta go, like right now!" Sora shouted through the doorway.

Ishizu, Odion, and Marik's head all shot up at once, and they backed away from the doorway a seemingly angry and fearful face covered them all. Before Marik could fully get away from the doorway, he leaned over to whisper something in Yugi's ear. What Marik said to him sent shivers down his spine, he couldn't move, but he did when Marik sent him reeling towards the door where Sora stood.

"Come on Yugi! the guards are coming!" she hissed. He looked around, but saw no one, and heard no foot steps... Was Sora lying to him? Why was she in a hurry?

All thoughts reeled through his mind, and he was barely even aware when Sora had grasped his wrist and dragged him down the hallway and back towards the room where they had previously occupied just hours ago.

**Atem's POV**

"Well Shiro.. We'll get you back home safe and sound, I promise." he said while getting on his knees so that he could be at eye level with the boy.

"Thank you." he whispered.

Yami got back up to his feet, and turned, but Shiro caught him by his pants.

"Mr... What they said... about Yugi, What is your actual name?" he asked shyly.

Yami closed his eyes for a moment, he didn't know, he wish he did, but he didn't, so he gave him the only one he knew he was comfortable enough with.

"For now just call me Yami." he replied.

Shiro narrowed his eyes, "That isn't someone else's name is it?" he asked.

Yami thought for a moment, he didn't know and he doubted anyone out there was named 'Yami' by birth.

"As far as I know, it's not." he replied.

Shiro closed his eyes. "Why aren't you telling me your real name?" he asked, but then he looked at his feet, "You don't trust me yet, I suppose. I mean... I wouldn't trust myself either if I just appeared out of no where right out of the blue." he said in a low voice.

Yami sighed. "You do have a point there, but that isn't the reason." he said.

"Then why?" he asked.

Yami gave a soft smile. "It's because I don't know my name Shiro." he said to him.

Shiro's eyes widened a little. "So it's true then.. You really don't know your name.." he said.

Yami looked confused for a bit, but then he guessed that something was going on in his timeline that he wasn't yet aware of.

Joey cleared his throat, and Yami's head snapped up.

"Uh, sorry." he stated, he had completely forgotten that they had been standing there.

"Yami." Shiro looked up at him, and Yami looked down at the boy, "Yes?" he asked.

"Will you... help me find someone?" he asked.

Yami blinked. "Who?" he asked.

Shiro looked down at the ground, still holding on to Yami's pant leg. "My sister, Miki."

"Your sister?" Yami said disbelieving.

Shiro nodded, and Tea suddenly scooped the boy up into her arms and hugged him tightly.

"oof." he made a sound, a sound of being squeezed to death.

"Tea!" Joey exclaimed, "Stop!" he added.

Tristan joined in, "Yeah Tea, you're gonna crush the little guy!"

Tea glared at the both of them, she wasn't crushing him, she was hugging him softly. It seemed to her that he was sad and desperate for his sister's love and protection again.

"it's alright." she said patting his back in reassurance.

Joey and Tristan fell silent.

Shiro smiled with his eyes closed, wrapped his arms around Tea's back, his bear hanging loosely in his fingers, and he buried his face into her hair.

They stood there for a few moments, wrapped in each other's arms.

No one said anything, the boy started to sob a little, and Tea whispered softly into his small ears, comforting him, telling him that everything was alright and that it would all be okay again soon.

A few more minutes passed by, and it seemed that Shiro had fallen asleep in Tea's arms, for he snored softly, and clutched his teddy bear and Tea's back.

"I think we should call it a day." Yami whispered.

Everyone else nodded. "Agreed, and then tomorrow we can get this little guy home along with his sister." Tea added.

Joey and Tristan were still silent, amazed by how Tea handled things so easily and quickly.

Yami just smiled the whole time, he too was amazed, he would never have guessed that the little boy was hurting that much, he just seemed so... grown up. He had no other words to describe it, the boy was like him in a way.

He was lost, very much like himself, Shiro wasn't alone though, for now Yami's friends could be there for the boy the same way they were there for him.

Silence.

No one moved, or turned to leave, they just stood there, staring at each other, but Tea looked in a different direction.

The setting sun, no one knew what time it was, but they could easily guess, it was starting to get dark quickly, and Tea just stood there watching the bright and blazing sun slowly turn from a bright yellow to a dim orange color.

Everyone else turned to watch as well, it wasn't anything exciting, but it soothed them all.

For once since Yugi's disappearance, Yami felt waves of calm rolling all around him. It was a moment he wasn't likely to forget in a long time, and oh how he had wished it had lasted for longer.

A crunch sounded behind them.

Yami's eyes turned to look, but all he saw was the barn, but what put him off was the fact that the door was _open_, not closed the way he had left it.

Then, a bone chilling hiss sliced through the night, very much sounding like a cat hissing at a dog, which startled him.

He fully turned around and scanned the area. No one else had noticed though, only he.

He made his way back to the tree where they had previously stood minutes ago, and peered around it.

"You know, you shouldn't be so scared, I won't bite... hard." a female voice sounded.

Yami spun around, only to have a knife pin his shirt to the wood on the tree he was peering around.

A woman stood before him, her hand still wrapped around the knife, and her eyes stared directly into his eyes.

Angry waves of blue stared into a fearful churning purple, and for once, Yami felt his arms and legs give way, and he had no choice but to admit that he was scared for his own life.

The woman still stared into his eyes, not even blinking.

"You're Yami are you not? the famous spirit of the Millennium Puzzle?" she asked in a forced tone, as if she already knew the answer, but was just confirming what she already knew.

"Yes." he replied meekly.

She smirked and pushed the knife even further into the tree.

"Congratulations, you might rest peacefully at last Pharaoh, And I shall be the one to finally kill you." she snickered.

"Who?" he stuttered, he had to know this woman's name.

her blue eyes narrowed and she glared at him.

"I'm surprised you have to ask. I thought you would already know who I am." she said, but then she shrugged.

"Fine, Mira's the name." she said lowly.

Yami's eyes widened, and all life seemed to drain from him. This was the person they were looking for. This person, this very person who took Yugi away from him, was about to take Yami's life.

**BOOM! AHA! gotcha :P CLIFFHANGER!**

**review, like, favorite, whatever, I've been finishing my homework at school lately, so I've actually had time to write this time... Surprised? maybe... maybe not. **

**O.O Yami MIGHT DIE! you don't know, he isn't really the main character, and this IS a fanfic, so for all you know, he very well could die... is it important? YES. IT IS.**

**PM me if you have questions...**

**I'll try to step up my updating if I keep up the 'no homework' status :3**

**Until next time!**

*- Yes, I do understand I said Melvin, no this is not an abridged story, or part, I simply like using this name because it's a lot simpler to use and distinguish, and a lot easier to spell without making a mistake and accidentally saying 'Marik' instead. This would make it a lot easier on me, and on you when you know who's doing what. Just so you know...


	14. Chapter 13

**Hey all! sorry for the late update, My computer was broken, so I fixed it :D anyway, again, sorry for the delay. :P**

**Well, I'll try my hardest to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. It seems it takes me longer to finish each passing chapter... sorry about that...**

**Enjoy!**

**Atem's POV**

Mira, a tall woman with blue hair cut short, her eyes were sky blue; they seemed a glow in the night, vibrant even.

"Mira..." a small voice sounded.

Mira, who had been focusing her total attention on the Pharaoh, had looked away, and towards the voice.

"Mira, what are you doing?" the voice asked. When Yami thought that Mira was distracted, he quickly popped open his eyes, grabbed her arms and shoved her away, grabbing the knife at the same time as she fell backwards.

She let out a startled squeak of surprise and then she fell silent, for Shiro had rested his foot on her stomach, firmly but not enough to cause actual pain.

"Yami, are you okay?" he asked uncertain. Only when Yami had nodded, did he turn back to the woman laying on the ground.

"Mira, may I ask something?" Shiro said cautiously.

She just growled at him, "Get off me you leech!" she hissed at him, but he ignored it.

"Mira... why did you grow so old?" he asked.

Mira stopped squirming underneath him, "Why do you want to know?" she said, "Why does it matter to you?"

Shiro blinked, "Because Sora isn't this age yet, and you're twins..." he whispered to her.

Mira narrowed her eyes. "What makes you think she isn't? I've locked you up for a long time Shiro, and you haven't come into contact with anyone until now." she stated simply.

Shiro shook his head of the confusion, then looked at Yami.

"Will you help me bring her back to the others?" he asked in a small voice.

"Of course, Shiro." the Pharaoh said, smiling.

He leaned down to pick her up, but he had a little trouble.

By the time they got Mira to his friends, it was pitch black, and Mira had managed to scratch both sides of Yami's face with her finger nails, which he had tried to prevent by moving to her head side, only to be greeted with a fierce kick to the face.

When Yami had set her beside the tree, she didn't attempt to move. Probably because she was surrounded by Shiro, Yami, and their friends.

"I didn't know so many of you were in this." she stated.

"In what?" Tea asked.

"In this war." she said, giving them all looks as if they were the stupidest people on Earth.

"What war?" Yami asked.

She shot him a death glare, "You should already know Pharaoh.. The crystal ball? hmmm... what was that message? that picture of a black hole?" she inquired, eyebrows raised mockingly.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "How would you know about that? Shadi and I were-"

"Shadi?" Joey piped up, "He was in there with you?"

Yami looked at him, then gave a slight nod, then turned his attention back to Mira, who was still glaring at him.

"Anyway, How would you know of that?" he asked her again.

"I was there. I saw you come in. Normally, I would have killed anyone who entered, but... I need you." she said, a grin slowly started to spread across her face as she ended her sentence.

"Need him?" Tristan asked.

She shot him a glare, and he immediately stepped back.

"Why Mira?" Yami asked curiously.

She didn't answer back, but flicked her head in ignorance.

"Tch, Typical. You gotta be smart when you're talkin' to them Pharaoh." Joey said as he patted Yami on the shoulder.

Yami sighed. "I don't want to be smarter than them, I just want the truth." he answered back.

Mira rolled her eyes. "look at me. I'm a grown woman and two pipsqueaks kept me down... no matter."

Tea gave her the evil eye, but Mira shot it right back.

Shiro tugged on Yami's shirt, "Yami, we have to go." he said.

"Why?"

"Because if we keep her here there's no telling what she'll do."

Yami sighed. "I suppose you're right... but where do we go?" he asked curiously.

Shiro's eyes gleamed with excitement. "To the future." he said, an excited breath escaped him as he hopped over to Mira.

Yami looked at his friends, they too showed excitement, but he knew that if they saw the future, they may try to change it... and that wasn't something that should happen.

"Tea.. Tristan, Joey. I'm sorry... this is where we're going to have to leave you."

Tea looked up, her eyes pleading, but still curious.

"Why!?" Joey exclaimed.

Yami sighed, but before he could answer-

"Because, Joey, if we saw the future, we could change it. Whether it's something we do knowingly or not, we don't have a choice. We have to stay behind." Tea answered solemnly.

Tristan didn't say anything, the excitement draining from his face.

"I guess you're right, Tea." Joey replied.

Mira was surprisingly quiet during this conversation, which aroused Yami's suspicions.

"Shiro," Yami turned to the boy. "How exactly do we get to the future?"

Shiro thought for a moment.

"When Mira took my sister and I here, she used a type of portal... it's in that building, I think it's in the room next to where you found me." he said while pointing at the building where they had previously exited.

Yami nodded, "Alright then."

He then turned to Mira, who was looking calmly back at him; he hoisted her up with the help of Shiro on his other side.

Tea, Tristan and Joey all looked at them and, feeling it was their que to leave, left with soft whispers of luck.

Yami smiled to each of them, "I'll get Yugi and the others back. I promise."

They slowly made their way to the red, barn shaped house; it still surprised him further when Mira didn't struggle, or even try to run.

"Mira. You never did answer my question." Shiro said suddenly.

"And what would that be?" she asked smugly.

"How did you get so old?" he asked again.

She let out an irritated sigh. "Fine, I'll tell you, brat."

Mira looked at Yami for a moment, who pushed her to the side so as to enter the house easier.

"Well... to put it simply... the portal that I use to go back and forth- a cheating way I might add- takes a rather big... tole on my body-"

"Therefore, you age faster." Shiro finished for her.

It wasn't a question.

"Yes." she answered, confirming his thought.

"I think it's right here." Shiro said to Yami as they rounded a corner.

"Where?" he asked curiously. He didn't see anything, he just saw a dead end, no doors, no wallpapers, no paintings. Just _nothing_, not even a spark or distortion to suggest a portal.

Shiro smiled a little, "Yep. This is it... isn't it, Mira?" he asked.

Mira narrowed her eyes, and looked away.

"Thought so." he stated.

A sudden thought flashed across Yami's mind,

"Shiro... How old are you?" he asked. It hadn't even occured to him to even ask, though, he pretty much assumed that this boy was around the age of 7.

"I'm 11." he replied.

Yami stopped so suddenly that he felt Mira and Shiro jerk backwards with him.

"11?" he asked. "That old?"

Shiro looked down at his feet, yes, it was true, he was 11, but it was also hard to tell because of the way he acted, and how short he actually was.

"Yes. You see... I can't-"

"He has a growth disability, it seems." Mira cut him off.

Shiro glared at her, but then he looked down again, tears starting to form in his eyes, "Yes... that's right." he said in a sad voice.

"How..?" Yami started, but he wasn't sure how to form a question without offending him.

"My mother said that it was in my genes..." he said.

"Please stop talking about that brat, I swear your gonna kill me." Mira muttered.

Yami rolled his eyes, but did stop talking. He didn't want to dive further into that part of the conversation; he was afraid he might offend the boy.

"So... Shiro..." Yami started, he was still staring at the wall before them when they were conversing.

"The wall?" Shiro guessed.

"Yeah... How..?" he began.

"We just walk through it." Shiro said, giving a shrug. "Atleast, that's what my sister told me when we were still together."

"Your sister... do you know where she might be?" Yami asked softly.

Shiro shook his head sadly.

"Oh my god! can we go!?" Mira shouted, jerking Yami and Shiro forward at the same time.

"What? wait-!"

but it was too late, they were already jerked towards the wall.

"Hang on!" Shiro yelled, and Yami did. He held on to Mira like his life depended on it, which, for all he knew, did.

**Yugi's POV**

"Sora?" he said sleepily.

She turned to him, her face soft with kindness.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Can we sleep yet?"

She smiled and sighed, "Not yet... We still have somethings we need to do today before we can sleep." she said in a whisper.

"Oh.." was his only reply.

She rubbed his back simpathetically. "You'll get to sleep soon, but-"

She was cut off by a sudden screech of fury; her head shot up in fear, as did Yugi's.

"What.. was that?" he asked.

"I... don't know. Let me check." she replied, and got up from her desk, leaving a pile of documents and papers that they had been sifting through, trying to find any sort of help from documents that related to past-present-future references.

Yugi stood by the desk now, wonder and fear sparking in his eyes, but he knew he couldn't just stand there all day waiting for her to return in case something should happen to her. "I'm coming with you." he told her, walking slowly up behind her.

Her blue eyes flashed to his, there was an alarming look in her face, but it soon relaxed.

"Alright. But only if you're very careful. If something should happen, I may not be able to help you, and you may be on your own." she told him warningly.

He just nodded, "Alright. I can deal, I've been here long enough to know my way around." he answered.

She nodded, "Ok. Now, just keep quiet and follow me." she whispered.

Yugi didn't answer, but gave the sign, and they both quickly flowed out the door like a calm wave.

**Atem's POV**

"Ouch." Yami rubbed his head.

"Here, give me you're hand." Shiro said. He leaned over to Yami's curled up body that was lying on the ground. It was winter, and they had nothing to keep them warm.

Yami took his hand with a slight shake, and stood up.

Mira had her face planted into the surrounding snow, and she lay there unmoving; her hair was strewn about, and it looked like she was hardly breathing.

"Shiro.. Is Mira..?" Yami began.

Shiro looked at her and shook his head. "She's acting. She can make it seem like she's in a very weak state, but she isn't... trust me." he said.

"...O-Okay" Yami answered.

Shiro trudged through the snow towards Mira and kicked her in the side; Mira hissed in pain, but picked up her body and teetered for a moment, before she got used to being on her feet again.

"My advice for next time," Shiro began, "Is to only go one or two people through the portal at a time, or else something bad could happen."

"Like what?" Yami asked.

Shiro shrugged. "I dunno... never happened to me before, but my father... well, yeah."

Yami nodded, "I see, I'm sorry.."

Shiro shook his head, "No big deal, come on, let's go."

Yami nodded and they both resumed their sides at Mira.

As they trudged through the snow, Shiro let out a small gasp of surprise.

"What is it?" Yami asked.

"Nothing, it's just... so different then I thought it would be." he said in a low voice.

"I see."

Yami looked at his surroundings, it was beautiful, he realized. The blanket of snow covered the ground as far as he could see, there looked to be a burnt building covered in snow nearby; immediately next to the burnt building, on all four sides, were rows of homes. Only one stood out to them though. A snow-covered building, tan by the looks of it, towered over all except the damaged building; he guessed that that building is what they were headed to.

To confirm his thought, he asked.

"Is that where we're headed?"

Shiro and Mira both looked at him for a moment, but Mira turned her head when Shiro answered, "Yes. Thats the Main Estate where everyone gathers."

"Ah." was the Pharaoh's only reply.

All of a sudden, as they were walking along a snow-covered stone path, there came a screech of fury.

Everyone's eyes widened in fear and confusion; they sprung away from each other in panic, not knowing what to do; the Pharaoh roamed away from the others, while Mira and Shiro stumbled away from the path.  
"No! We must stay together!" the Pharaoh shouted to them, but they didn't seem to hear.

A person was racing towards Shiro and Mira at high speed, the person looked some-what angry; when the pharaoh saw this, he immediately tried to make his way over to the others as fast as he could, but they were already seemingly too far away.

As the person grew closer, the Pharaoh saw the angry figure to be a girl; Mira must have noticed this fact, for she began hissing and spitting- much like a cat who didn't want another to come near them.

Then there was Shiro. Yami hadn't even tried to look at the poor boy who was struggling to hold Mira in one place all on his own.

"Shiro! Move out of the way! ... and take Mira with you!" the Pharaoh called to him.

Shiro looked up, a confused look on his face, he didn't seem to see the reason behind Mira's sudden struggle; when he did notice though, he stoped. Just stoped. He did not move nor flinch when Mira pushed him away, but by the time Mira had managed to get away from the boy, the girl who had been running suddenly bore down on her with all the might she could have seemed to muster.

At this point, Shiro still didn't move. He seemed to be in a type of shocked state. All he could seem to do was watch as the girl and Mira began fighting- seemingly to the death.

"Stop this at once!" the Pharaoh shouted over the screeching when he finally stood upon the pair.

Both of the women stopped at once, frozen. Mira glanced at him, but then forced her hands to grab the girl's wrists; before any of them- including the girl- knew it, a beam of light surrounded the two of them and a seeming shock wave exploded all around them. The pharaoh and Shiro were knocked back, but the girl and Mira were stone still. That didn't stop the scream of agony that exploded from the girl's mouth.

Shiro suddenly snapped out of his daze. A look of pure hatred filled his complexion. He stood on his feet, the repeated shock waves that held both Shiro and Yami to the ground seemed to have no more effect on the boy as he made his way over to the pair.

Finally reaching them, he spoke- his voice was bone-chilling, something that Yami never wanted to hear again, but knew he would eventually.

"Let her go," he said. "Or you'll be the one screaming."

Mira looked at him in shock, but immediately released her hold on the girl.

She fell to the ground, panting and crying. Mira didn't even glance at her; her focus was all on Shiro.

It was then that Yami realized he was shivering, although cold, it wasn't that. It was of fear. He didn't want to see this side of Shiro- he saw him as an innocent little boy who lost his sister-

But wait. Who was this girl? could it be...?

Shiro knelt down to the girl and embraced her with a loving touch. "Miki. You're safe now." She smiled a little.

"It's good to see you Shiro... after so long."

And then, they cried. They cried and held eachother in their arms, and it was then that Yami realized that Miki and her brother had a stronger relationship that he'd ever seen before.

**Yugi's POV**

Sora and Yugi made their way out the corridor and to the door that lead to the outside.

As Sora gently eased it open, Yugi realized that it was snowing.

"Come on." she whispered to him gently.

Yugi gave a smile, and followed her out the door, into a winter wonderland.

"It's beautiful out here." he commented.

"Mmm." was her reply; her hand suddenly shot up and pointed to an area in front of them that seemed close due to the snow, but was distant.

Yugi saw a few black specks in the distance, but wasn't sure what it was.

"There." Sora said.

Yugi looked at her confused. "What?" he asked.

"That's where the sound came from."

"Oh... how do you know that?" he asked.

She smiled at him and nudged him gently, reminding him of their previous conversation.

"Right," he corrected himself. "But, how can you do that when it looks like your not using magic?"

She shook her head with a laugh, "Yugi, you don't have to always _see_ what the magic is, you sometimes have to just _feel_ it."

Yugi then had a lightbulb go off in his head. _Of course! that's what the Pharaoh sometimes tells me when I'm in a tight spot._ he thought.

"Sora.." he began, and she swiveled her head and gave him all of her attention.

He stared nervously at the ground infront of him.

"Are we going over there? to the place you pointed?" he asked.

She smiled, "No. We'll let them come to us." she said.

Yugi looked up at her face. He noticed that the falling snow that surrounded them now, was beguinning to pile up on her soft blue hair. He reached up to his own hair and felt the snowflakes making his head cold, and brushed them off.

Sora laughed a little, and brushed off the rest from his head.

"Come, lets go inside and finish looking through those documents." she said softly.

He smiled up at her, "Alright."

She paused for a moment, "And Yugi..."

He stopped as well.

"Can you tell me? you know... how you got involved in all of this?" she asked.

Yugi's face went expressionless, and he turned away from her. "I will," he said, closing his eyes, "I will in time, it's not something that I'm ready to talk about yet..." he said. A tear formed on his face and trailed down his cheek. The cold snowflakes drifting down on him, and Sora, seemed _very_ far away.

"Alright." Sora said. "I'll wait."

Yugi noticed that she was being serious; Sora really did want to know about his involvement.

_It's my fault. It's all my fault. If I had just gone home that day... No one would be here, the Millennium Items would be safe, and none of my friends would be in this much danger... Oh Pharaoh, what do I do?_

***Bangs head on corner of table* **

**Seriously, this took so long because of a computer problem! wow... really sorry for the long wait, I'll be quicker next time, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! ^^**

**This was pretty long wasn't it? I noticed that the Pharaoh and Yugi basically stayed in the same setting for a few chapters... didn't intend to make it quite that long.. so, a change of scenery! YAY!**

**~Review? You know you want to :D**


	15. Chapter 14

**Pfft. Of course. I loose my thumbdrive right when I need it, and I was so close to finishing this chapter too! Ah, well atleast I have a valid excuse this time for being late. November and December are my crazy rush months, and it just got even more crazy when my mom finally had my baby sister Ashley :P 12/12/12 baby! :D so excited! **

**uh, yah, got carried away, so sorry about how long it took me to make this chapter- forgive me? Thank you all for patiently waiting for me, and as a reward, you get an extra long chapter. ^^**

**Atem's POV**

"So, it seems you two have finally been reunited," Mira said smugly; However, her face betrayed her confidence, for she gave the tiniest hint of fear through the shivers that racked her body. In this instant, Miki and Shiro both stopped their embrace; the blizzard of snow that had come only moments before seemed to fall to a deadly silence.

Mira backed away a step, and Yami could tell that she was doing everything in her power to remain calm.

_Why is that? I wonder. Why would a fierce person like Mira be so afraid of two siblings? could it be that they posses something that frightens her? Of course! isn't that why Mira wanted them gone in the first place?_ Yami shook his head with wonder; he had no time for such thoughts at the moment. Shiro and Miki were in danger at the moment because Mira was now free of their custody. The silence of the outside world made him feel uneasy, and the ever so slight crunch of the snow could startle him- or anyone for that matter- and someone could get seriously hurt.

"Shiro, it's best we continue our journey to the main house," Yami suggested; Shiro nodded. "Yes I think it's best if we do head that way."

Mira looked at them with unease, but what Yami, Shiro, and Miki didn't realize was that there was an ever so slight hint of a smile dancing upon her lips.

"Come, let's leave," the Pharaoh urged; Miki and Shiro both helped each other out of the sinking snow and walked over to Mira, who stood still and allowed the children to lead her deeper into the snow filled land towards the rather large building in which Yami had assumed was the main gathering area.

Yami stumbled across the sinking snow, the blizzard of snow had picked up again, and he was trembling terribly. He fought the urge to collapse, and every step towards the building, it seemed he was getting further and further away.

"This is getting really annoying." Miki stated bluntly.

He stopped and turned in surprise. "How far are we from the building anyway?" Yami asked.

Miki and Yami, both not introduced what so ever, and not even knowing why the other was even involved, stared at eachother blankly.

"Uh..." Miki stuttered, then turned to her little brother who held on tightly to Mira's arm like it was his lifeline. "Shiro, who's this?" she asked in a polite tone, with an ever so slight growl to it.

Shiro gave a nervous laugh. "Sis, um, this is Yami, he's my-"

"YAMI?!" she shouted, "YOU BROUGHT YAMI HERE!? SHIRO HOW COULD YOU!" she screamed, tears starting to leak into the corners of her eyes.

His eyes widened, "Oh sis... I'm- I, I'm sorry... I didn't know what to do!" he said in return, his voice slowly turning desperate. Her eyes softened considerably, "Sorry Shiro, I had no right to yell at you. It's just.. we both swore to protect them." she said in a light tone.

He looked up at her with his huge heather brown eyes. "Yes, I remember now. It's just been so long that..." He trailed off and shook his head fiercely and buried his face into her chest. She smiled a little, and she patted his head, still covered by the pilot hat and then took his hands into hers (one of his hands was a little bent back from his hold on the brown teddy bear) and looked deep into his eyes with a reassuring smile. He loosened his grip on her and resumed at Mira's side.

Miki then turned to the Pharaoh. "Yami, right? I'm sorry that my little brother has dragged you here. You should really go back to your own time now, it's not safe here for you as of yet." she said in the most respectful voice she could muster. Yami thought for a moment, while he tended to agree with her about the dangerousness of it all, he couldn't leave. Not without his friends and the Millennium Items anyway.

He let out a small sigh as they started on their way once again. He turned to her when he realized her gaze never left him. "I'm sorry Miki, I just can't do that yet."

Her eyes flamed with curiosity, but he could tell that she was trying her best to bite back the questions she wanted answers to, "Very well Yami, but I must warn you that it will be dangerous here, and may even be life threatening," she cautioned him. He just simply nodded, but what struck him as odd was that Mira seemed reluctant to say anything at all. Though, when he first encountered her, he was being pinned to a tree with a knife pressed against his throat. Yeah, she seemed talkative then, but why not now? he wondered.

"Damn it Mira!" she suddenly shouted, "Stop playing with us! this is exhausting!" she screamed. He had to cover his ears as fast as he could because man, could she scream. He'd figure she'd probably used her voice a lot during the years she'd been gone. Mira turned to Miki, eyes full of mischief. "Oh Miki, whatever do you mean?" she said in a teasing tone.

"Stop-" she covered Shiro's ears before continuing, "Stop fucking around and get us closer to the god damn building!"

Mira simply sighed and rolled her shoulders. "Fine, though, it took you long enough to notice." she commented. Yami heard a growl forming in Miki's throat, but before she could do anything, Mira snapped her fingers and the whole world seemed to be coming straight at them right before their eyes, though, it seemed only Yami was amazed by this.

Finally, they were at the door steps to the building that was now extremely large due to the fact that he was standing right in front of it now. Out of the corner of his eye he saw people peeking out their windows from nearby houses. Although it was a blizzard, they could seemingly still see, for their eyes seemed to widen and then they slowly pulled away out of view.

He glanced curiously around him at the other houses, but no others were to be seen; However, his gaze was immediately snatched back to the mansion in front of him when the doors slowly opened. It was then that he had realized that this wasn't a gathering area at all, oh no, it was a castle. Or at least, that's what it looked like anyway; Yugi had shown him in a book what a castle had looked like, and he vaguely recalled wondering if his palace in Egypt had looked much the same.

Miki and Shiro's gaze, however, were solely focused on Mira; when Yami spotted her, his eyes widened in surprise. He no longer saw the woman, but a much younger woman with the exact features, only she was... smiling? He glanced confusedly at Miki and Shiro, but their eyes seemed to widen with fear. Not surprise, merely fear. This made him scared as well. What was Mira even planning anyway?

"Welcome m'lady," An old man said, voice like honey.

Mira smiled right back, and, was easily able to pull herself free (Without much effort due to the fact that Miki and Shiro were gaping at her) and she gracefully climbed the steps. He also noticed that her clothes had changed as well. Instead of the ragged dirty clothes that she'd worn when they first met, she wore a beautiful white silk dress that came to the floor, with a pretty lace that dressed the waist area- much like a belt, only not. Along with her dress, she wore earings that dangled down to her small shoulders; they were silver with blue gems attached.

To Yami, he found her quite beautiful, even when he knew she had just transformed.

"Are you coming?" she said, throwing her curly blue hair away from her face as she twirled around, "I have places to be, and you might as well come inside; I don't want you to freeze to death out here in this blizzard of a storm," she mused. Miki and Shiro automatically snapped out of their shock, (though it really shouldn't be shocking, but since they hadn't seen her since they were really young, they didn't understand that she had the power to do this)

"Yes, coming." Yami stepped forward and accepted her hand as she reached out to him. The old man still stood there, head bowed in respect and hands open to the now open door. Mira, now young, smiled at him as she guided him inside, "Don't lag behind you two," she said sharply over her shoulder. He knew instinctly who she was talking to- Miki and Shiro.

"Mira?" he piped up,

"Yes?"

"Do you have something against Shiro and Miki?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity." he said curtly.

She stopped for a moment to look at him. "And why is that?" she asked. He looked at the ground briefly, wondering how to word it without being too pushy. "Well," he thought, "Shiro told me that.. well, you locked him in a room in an area between the past and future," he began. "Wouldn't you have some sort of motive to do that?" he asked.

She blinked. For now, Yami couldn't believe that he was actually having a civil conversation with this woman; how she was able to make herself young and then old again the next was truely a mystery, but he was just glad of the opportunity he was receiving to get his answers.

"I don't think now is the time to tell," she finally replied. She looked over her shoulder just to see if Miki and Shiro had followed. They were, and were listening intently. She saw this and simply smiled- odd though after spending most of the time they had been with her and all of her smug comments and growls.

"Lady Mira," A woman approached. She looked up at the sound of her name. The woman bowed and showed them to a room. Yami thought it was a very big room, he'd never seen anything so big before, not even Kaiba's office could compare to this. The same woman who came stopped by Mira; she had nodded at what Mira had told her, and she ushered Shiro and Miki off in a completely different direction. He turned back from them to the current area. He had time to worry about them later, for now it seemed, from the previous display out in the cold, that they could take care of themselves. As he looked at the room before him, his eyes grew wide in awe.

The floor looked like it was made out of gold, and the walls shone off a pretty cream texture; curtains draped the walls as if there was an entry way, but not. From what he could see, to the right of him, there was a desk littered with papers of all sorts, a lamp that was turned on, and an old man with wrinkly skin and glasses that sat poised over a document of sorts and scribbled something onto a notebook. To Yami's left, a long, wide banquet table, made of some sort of wood with a glass top stood. On it, were many expensive looking plates with silverware next to it; wine glasses accompanied it.

"Father, Mother," Mira's voice distracted him from his thoughts, and he looked ahead of him to see two tall golden chairs that looked more like a throne than anything else; two other chairs, smaller but not by much, sat on either side. Two people sat on the tall thrones, wearing crowns and such. He thought it odd though, Yugi always explained to him that there used to be castles much like this, but he also said that it was a thing of the past. So why was it in the future? could they have gone back to old ways?

His questions were cut off as the two people stood- a man and a woman. Most likely the 'queen' and 'king' as Yugi had said.

"Mira, darling." the woman grinned from ear to ear and raced over to the young girl, her long violet dress flowing after her.

"Mother," Mira smiled and wrapped her arms around the woman. Yami stared at their embrace, he wondered time and time again how someone who seemed almost harmless could do something so drastic as to go to the past to kidnap people and the Millennium Items.

The Man also made his way over to Mira, pulling her in a short embrace, but they all let go of each other at once.

"Dear, where have you been? We've been worried sick." The Queen scolded, although, she didn't sound quite that worried to him. Mira looked up at the both of them with an innocent look. "It was Sora, Mother. She's been so.." she looked down at the ground and twisted her foot; she bit her lip thinking for a moment. "..Distant, I honestly tried to talk to her, but she freaked out and shoved me into the nearest frame of time she could find." she murmured. She looked up at them again, apology held in her gaze. Though, to Yami, she didn't seem apologetic at all. Nevertheless, the King and Queen's faces twisted with a small type of pain at the mention of Sora. This sparked curiosity within Yami. What had happened between the family? Was there something he should know? Was Yugi in danger? Yes, he did know that Sora was with him, he even recalled Shiro pulling him to the side to speak in private to consult him about it. The meer fact that Sora may be the villain seemed to pull on his heart. Yugi was with her, and if she did something to him he would only blame himself even more for letting him get taken so easily.

He was snapped from his thoughts when the King and Queen approached him. He was a little wary because he had the feeling that these people knew everything about him, but he knew nothing of them. "Yami," it was slight, but he could see the King give a tiny bow to him out of respect. However, the Queen didn't feel the need to be so hesitant; she smiled at him and gave him a small bow of her own. He gazed curiously at them both for a moment, before hesitantly bowing back. The Queen chuckled a little, but the King shot her a warning glare to silence her. Mira didn't do anything though, she merely stepped away. It was then that he recognized that she was taking steps backward on purpose. Then it hit him, she'd only wanted to get away, and the only way to distract him long enough was to engage him in an unwanted conversation with the two highest royals. She also seemed to know that he wouldn't simply walk away, he'd want to please the King and Queen and gain their trust. That took time, and no one seemed to know this better than she.

The King and Queen introduced themselves as King Oren and Queen Izumi; he, in turn, introduced himself as well, although there was no need, he still thought it polite to do so. He was well aware that with each passing second, Mira had slipped further and further away, until she had left the room completely. He wanted to follow her, but he simply couldn't, reason being the Queen had come and intertwined her arm with his and walked him over to the banquet table. The King slowly followed after; it really did seem that they had wanted to talk to him. With all these things racing through his mind, he was barely aware that she had seated him and sat across the table with her husband next to her. It was when they spoke his name that he had been pulled from his momentary daze.

"Yami, you don't know how long we've been waiting for you to arrive." Queen Izumi said delightedly. King Oren nodded in agreement. "Yes, we didn't expect you to show up this soon, but regardless, we're still happy you made it safely." Queen Izumi added, "And we have Mira to thank for bringing you here safely; we're quite lucky to have her."

He stared at them with momentary shock. _She _brought_ him_? Is that what they thought? Had Mira purposely gone to get him?

"Yami," King Oren started, "If at all possible, would you be willing to help us?" He asked. Yami's eyes grew even wider. The last thing he was expecting was to be asked for help.

"Uh... with what, exactly?" he asked. Queen Izumi and King Oren looked at each other briefly and exchanged an uncertain glance. "You mean... you don't remember coming?" Queen Izumi asked, mystified. "Coming?" he asked. The King stood for a moment.

"Wayther Apinski!" he shouted, not loud of course, but enough to get attention. The man that he'd seen earlier working at his desk quickly rose from his seat, papers went this way and that, he quickly collected them all and ran over with a pen and a pad. "Yes my King?" he asked nervously. "You recorded our conversation, did you not?" he asked. The man blinked, "What conversation your Majesty?" he asked. King Oren looked like he was about to yell, but Queen Izumi stood and rested her hand on his arm. "Dear, not now." she murmured. She then turned to the man, "Apinski, you remember right? when we were outside and both Mira and Sora had accompanied a young man by the name Yami Muto?" she inquired. The man, Apinski's eyes brightened instantaniously. "Yes of course my Queen, you need it at this moment?" he asked. She merely nodded and he scurried off to his desk. The King and Queen both sat again.

"Sorry about that, Yami," The Queen said, "We need you to remember if you can't so that we can explain what has been happening over the past few weeks." she added.

He nodded slightly, he was still unsure of what this was all about, but he knew he would be briefed soon. Then a thought came to mind, What if he had this conversation with these people when he was King? Would he learn of his real name? But wait... if it had indeed happened when he was King, wouldn't these people have called him that instead of 'Yami'? He shook the thoughts away.

"Majesties, it is here." Apinski murmered, and handed them over before zooming back over to his desk. It seemed to Yami that he had a fear of the King, and from what had just taken place, Yami wouldn't have blamed him.

"Um, King Oren?" he asked, "You called that man, a... 'Wayther'?" The King stopped scanning the document and looked up at him, confusion etched his face, but the Queen seemed to understand perfectly what he was asking. She smiled at him, "Please, Call me Izumi and my husband, Oren." she paused for a moment, then, "Waythers are.. how should I put it? Servants of sorts.." Yami blinked, "So," he said, thinking out loud, "They're more like slaves..." he said. Izumi and Oren both looked up at him, eyes a little wide and he could visibly see them gulp before answering, "Well, yes. I guess that is the technical term isn't it?" Oren stated. Izumi nodded and let out a nervous laugh, then the room fell into silence.

Yami was curious though, Why did they look afraid? Was it something he had done? He didn't think he was really that intimidating, so it had to be something else. _Is it something I'm _going_ to do?_ he asked himself. All he had known of his past was that he was a really powerful Pharaoh, but surely not _that_ powerful compared to these people. He had already seen physical power that even he couldn't do. For example, Mira's light when they were outside, and Shiro's weird expression afterwards that made her back down. He couldn't do that, he knew. So the real question was, what made these people sitting across from him, have to fear?

All of a sudden, there was a blood curdling scream that echoed through the room they had entered; the doors were still open and he immediately heard other screams and people running down the hallway in blind panic, he recognized most of them to look like Waythers, but that was beside the point. The scream came once more, but it intensified, so much so that he had to cover his ears. And then, again. He crushed his palms to his ears as he heard it, he heard shattering of glass and what ran through his mind was that something serious was going on, and if it didn't stop soon, he might bleed through his ears. He glanced over to the King and Queen, but they didn't seem fazed by it, they only stared at him with concern.

It seemed that Yami was the only one that could hear all of this; he immediately stood up on his feet and wandered away from the table, it was then that he felt so small, a helpless little bug, and each scream that he heard seemed to intensify, as if a stereo was on repeat and the volume was being messed with. He couldn't take it anymore, the screams got louder and faster, so much so that it overwhelmed him. He crumpled to the ground and let out a strangled cry of pain, one that he would never have thought he would make in his life. Then, just before his head his the ground, Something terrified him, And instantly, with tremors of fear shaking his body, he instantly knew who was screaming. It was Yugi. Yugi was screaming. He didn't know how he was the only one who heard, but it scared him to death. Another of Yugi's intensified screams sent him to the ground completely; he was barely aware that the Queen and King were hovered around him patting him all over checking to see if he was alright. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak. All he could do was lay there on the floor, eyes shut. He felt something hot and sticky on his hands, the hands that he had covered his ears with that now lay beside his head. He wondered briefly if it was water that had been poured on him, he didn't know why but that's what came to mind, but then the tang of blood that stung his throat said otherwise. It was all too clear now to Yami that he was bleeding, and badly. His receding thoughts were of the terrifying thought that Yugi was going through hell, and there was nothing he could do to stop it; he didn't even seem to feel, let alone care, about his own life.

_Please, Yugi, I need you to be safe._

This was his last thought before the darkness came and swept him away like a dark river.

**Yugi's POV**

It had been about five minutes since they had come back from inside. He and Sora had decided that the best thing for the both of them was to get some rest for tomorrow. He hadn't wanted to give up searching for possible solutions to his problem; he wanted to free his friends, and the... Waythers- The slaves. From the look he'd gotten from a passing Wayther, it looked like she was miserable. He had felt bad for her, but he wasn't entirely sure why they were feeling so miserable if they were treated decently. He'd been looking for some clue as to what the Millennium Items meant to these people, and what the captives even meant to people like Sora. Sora knew little, from what she had said. He knew that he could trust her, and with his life. He hadn't known her for that long, but if she really did need something from him, she probably would have tried something already. She hadn't so far, so that meant a great deal to him; he was rather pleased that she was on his side.

He sat down at the table as he was lost in thought, but Sora quickly snapped him out of it by tapping him on the shoulder and guiding him to the nearby couch in her room. It had become his designated sleeping spot for a while now, and Sora didn't seem too bothered by the idea, after all she had a bed of her own in another room connected to this one since her room was so big. As she guided him away from the table, he let out small wimpers of protest every now and then, which was silenced each time by Sora who kept giving him a hard glare. "Please, Sora. I need to-" "No, you've done enough for today. You need to get your rest." she cut him off. He pouted a little, but Sora laughed. "Wow, pouting? I'd never thought you'd go to _that_ extent." she said, eyes lit up with amusement. This seemed to ebb his worries a little, it was nice to be with a friend at a time like this.

Once he was lying down on the couch, Sora had pulled some of her blankets off of her bed and put it on top of him. Sora had to do this with each passing night due to the Waythers that kept entering her room. He found that, since she was a Princess (which didn't come as much of a shock to him by the way she'd acted when they'd first met) she'd have her bed made, her food brought to her, and she was repeatedly pampered. Of course, he'd also have to hide every time they came in; they didn't want word getting out that a strange boy was in her bedroom at all times. Every now and then though, a Wayther would catch him by surprise, and Sora would have to swear them to secrecy. They always obeyed her, so it didn't become too much of a problem.

An hour had passed, and he was still tossing and turning. The couch was a little bit uncomfortable, but that wasn't what kept him up. Every night it seemed that someone was singing; granted it was beautiful and he wanted to listen to it each time, but he knew that he needed his rest tonight and it didn't help if he was to distracted to do that. As the song went on, he realized that it seemed... different. Like someone else was singing the song. Out of curiosity, he brushed off the blankets he was under and stood; very carefully he tip-toed up to the closed door that lead into the hallway. He pressed his ear to it, and the song grew louder. He was about to reach for the door handles when he suddenly remembered what had happened to him earlier. The images of the old wrinkly skin had shocked him, and scared him to death. He turned away suddenly, and grabbed some gloves off the desk he had been at earlier. Sora had left them for him if he ever needed some air in the middle of the night. He did occasionally, and his heart stirred with warmth when he realized how truely Sora had trusted him.

He slipped his fingers into each of the slots and pulled on the door slightly. The singing did get louder, but not by much. He silently brushed past the door and closed it behind him, slowly so he wouldn't disturb Sora's slumber. He looked both left and right, trying to decide where the music was coming from; he chose to go right, which would lead him deeper into the castle he was in. He'd grown a little bit used to being in a place so big, and he began to feel happy that he had the chance to explore when everyone was asleep. It had been quite a while since he first came here, and only a couple of days ago he'd been allowed to wander. He still hadn't fully explored everywhere, which wasn't such a surprise because the castle was so big.

As he headed down the hallway, he noticed that the music grew louder; it seemed he had been right about his assumption. He paused at the end of the hallway, there was yet another hallway that he had learned connected to this one; he hadn't yet been down one side, and he was curious about it. Sora always seemed wary passing it when she had always come to get him when she felt he'd been out to long. Yes, Sora did know that he wandered, but he didn't think she cared too much. He slowly peeked around the corner, down the way he was not yet familiar with. His excitement grew when he heard the song coming not far down; he'd finally have a chance to explore this part of the castle. Noting that all was clear, he stepped into the hallway and continued down the path. He squinted to see through the growing darkness; there were no lamps down this hallway, not like the others. He carefully placed one foot in front of the other, and imagined in his head that he was a feather. A trick, not a very good one, but it helped him to be less shaky in his slow movements.

As he continued his journey down the hallway, there was a sudden knock on a wall. He nearly screamed, but, inspite of his fears, he drew closely to the door closest to where he had heard the knock. As he pressed his ear to the door, he heard the music, louder than before. He then noticed the difference from when he had first heard it that night. It wasn't one person singing the song any longer, it was a _group of people_ singing it together. He was in total awe that these people could sing like one person. He nervously bit his lip, he needed to see who was singing. If that got him into trouble, maybe he could pretend to be a Wayther. He made up his mind, and he slowly cracked to door open. He let out a loud gasp when he saw. He couldn't believe it himself.

In the nearly pitch black room, there was a cell connected to the wall, the cell was filled with all types of people. He'd even thought he caught a glimpse of Bakura in there. He saw Seto Kaiba too, he was there sitting in a corner, head down; it looked like he was sleeping, but he knew he was probably just angry with himself for getting into something like this. The song intenisfied, again, not by much. But he knew the song now, and what they were singing. He couldn't agree more, and he wished everyone in the cell would be free. The lonely song seemed to be getting at him. Of course, the song was probably almost over by now anyway, so he thought he might as well listen to the rest of the song.

He glanced around the cell, searching for the main voice that pierced through everyone in the cell. To his surprise, there were two main voices. They sounded exactly alike in every way, and it amazed him even further when he recognized the voices as Marik and, what looked like to be Ryou. When he saw, he kind of figured it was him because Bakura's hair was bigger and much more ragged than that. As he stood at the doorway, peeking through the crack in the door, he noted that everyone began to sway, all except Kaiba, Marik's family, and Bakura. It was a very moving song that made Yugi himself want to cry.

As they went on singing, he found himself singing along as well, he already knew the song by heart, he remembered that his grandfather had told him once that his mother used to sing him that song. A tear fell from his eyes as he sang:

_I think about love, and oh what a beautiful song_

_And oh how it need to be sung here sing it so loud all the world can hear_

_I think I'll be_

_Gone away awhile, tell me all the things that I_

_I'll be missing here in this old life man cause I just don't know_

_But I'll be fine, oh don't you worry_

_Cause I'll be fine, see I'm in no hurry_

_No I'll be fine, oh don't you worry_

_Cause I'll be fine, see I'm in a hurry to be_

_Gone away awhile, tell me all the things that I_

_I'll be missing here in this old life man cause I just don't know_

As the song slowly died away, he smiled a little when he heard the rest of the people chant the last verse a couple of times again, just the way he had heard it when he first heard the song. Everyone that had been singing smiled at one another, a girl even went so far as to complement Marik and Ryou for the lead in the song.

He blinked a few times, he was dazed by the song, and he didn't seem to realize that his friends were singing a song about leaving this place, and their entrapment. It occurred to him a little while after the thought, that he had the chance to actually talk to his friends and the others before Sora came looking for him. It has been a little bit ago that he left, maybe ten minutes or so; she wouldn't come looking for a while yet. He felt nervous butterflies in his stomach, he didn't know how everyone would react to him. After all, he didn't see what was so special about himself, but he was glad that he was with Sora. He began to feel bad for these people. The idea of even sleeping in a cell repulsed him; he couldn't imagine how his friends must feel.

It was already dark in the hallway, so he slowly opened the door further, slid in, and closed it behind him. Still though, no one noticed his appearance. His nervousness intensified considerably.

He softly cleared his throat, and called out the name of his friend that he had wanted to speak to: "Marik?" he said in a hushed voice. The stirring around in the cell suddenly stopped. No one moved, no one said a word. He looked at Kaiba, and it scared the living daylights out of him when he found Kaiba on his feet with wide scared eyes. Never before had he seen the CEO so incredibly shaken by his sudden appearance.

"Marik? it's me, Yugi." he quickly added. He heard a few sighs of relief, and upon hearing these, the group of people also seemed to visibly relax. "Yugi, you can't be in here." Ryou came over to the edge of the cell, face pressed up against the metal bars. Yugi shook his head, refusing; but then realized it was dark, "No," he replied instead, "I have to speak to Marik, Now." he insisted. "What about?" he questioned. Yugi bit his lip again, he couldn't exactly talk to everyone about it, that's why he had wanted to speak to Marik privately.

"Um, I can't tell you." he murmured. Ryou sighed, "If you really want to speak to him Yugi, you're going to have to wait until morning. We can't get out of here."

Yugi nodded, If they were in a cell, then it would be only natural for them to not be able to leave. Truth be told, he really did need to speak to Marik, but the whole reason he came down here was to find the source of the singing. And to think, his own two friends were the ones. Well, at least he thought.

"Alright," he responded, "Marik, do you know where Sora's room is?" he questioned. There was silence for a minute, then there was a hesitant, "Yes." Yugi nodded, "Right, well, that's where I'll be; you can come in the morning there so we can talk." he said. There was a sigh, and Ryou reached out and grabbed Yugi's wrist. Yugi stared up at his friend with wide eyes.

"Yugi, it's not safe for you to be around Sora." He whispered to him. He recalled Marik saying the same thing when he found him and his siblings doing the laundry in the laundry room. It wasn't the statement of him needing to stay away from Sora that had scared him so much. He absolutely refused to acknowledge the fact that Marik said that there was another him roaming around. At first, he'd thought that Marik and gone crazy, but then he just figured that Marik had seen him roaming around the castle at some point. He was even wearing new clothes that Sora had given him so his own clothes could get washed.

"Please, it's really not safe. Honest. Believe me." he insisted. Yugi just blinked. Bakura, whom was sitting on the cell floor leaning against the bars, had slid up to his feet, hands in his pockets, and stared over at Yugi.

"You'd do well to heed his advice," he said grudgingly. Ryou let go of Yugi and swiveled his head to look at Bakura. It seemed that Bakura and Ryou had gotten along better, probably due to the fact that they both had separate bodies now due to being pulled away from one another much like the Pharaoh and himself were. Bakura walked over and nudged Ryou out of the way; he stared down at Yugi, eyes squinting. "If you ignore us, and don't listen," he warned, "Don't come crying to us if something happens." he growled at the last part of the sentence. Yugi gulped and nodded, "But, Bakura... I can't just leave her. She'll search for me and wonder why I've been avoiding her." he looked down, "What do I do?" he asked. He, for one, would never have thought he would ever ask Bakura for advice, but given the situation he guessed it would be okay just this once.

"Why are you asking that bastard for ideas, Yugi?" Kaiba muttered. Bakura shot him a glare, but Kaiba didn't seem fazed by it. "Seriously Yugi, I thought you were better than that." Yugi looked down in shame. Bakura chuckled a little, "Well, now _Seto_, do you have better advice than mine?" he asked. Kaiba growled at the use of his first name. "Bakura, I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me by my first name. After all, I've been very nice about not mocking your first name." He smirked. Bakura seemed to be glaring daggers at him, but turned away.

"Just stay with her for now, if you're so worried," Bakura said, "But try not to put yourself into trust related issues." he then turned away and headed back further into the cell.

Yugi sighed, "Well, Marik, I'll see you tomorrow then." he murmured, and without another word, he left the cold cell room, silently clicking the door shut behind him.

There was a sudden gasp of surprise, and his head snapped away from the door to the person in front of him. He let out a small cry of fear. As did the person in front of him. Yugi's eyes were wide with fear, and he backed away until his back hit the door he came from. The figure in front of him looked evil, Yugi even _felt_ the evil within this person. "W-Who are you?" Yugi's voice visibly shook. The figure looked down at his feet, "You need to ask?" he replied.

Yugi's eyes grew even wider, and tears dripped down his face. He felt so heavy now, his head was pounding painfully. He looked at the figure, the all too familiar figure he had seen every day, no matter where he was. The figure looked back up at him, violet eyes staring back at him. He had to stop staring. The figure looked exactly like him, mirrored in every way. His eyes, his hair, his height, even his _clothes_ were the same and the figures. The only difference he could find was the evil that this person harnessed. Marik really wasn't kidding when he said that he had a look alike!

The figure stepped forward towards Yugi, all shock of bumping into each other faded away. He stared into Yugi's eyes, and Yugi finally felt the fear instead of surprise. He advanced further until they were only inches apart.

"I'm you, Yugi." He smirked evilly. It was then that Yugi's eyes widened even further, and he let out a terrifying scream. It wasn't of fear, it was of pain. Yugi crumpled to the floor, he had knocked the other away from him with the fall, but when he hit the floor, his head reeled, he flailed all over the place, hitting the walls, the door; he his a small night stand table and knocked over a vase, shattering it. He let out another terrifying screech.

The pain in his head intensified, as if his brain was trying to fight its way out of his skull. "HELP!" He screeched, he needed help from someone, anyone. He stopped flailing around, and curled up into the fetal position; he was still painfully aware that the other was looking down on him with a wide smirk. Yugi couldn't hold on any longer, his conciousness was fading fast, and he didn't know what to do. He forced out a harsh scream, hoping someone would come. But he didn't have that long before the dark abyss dragged him down. His fleeting thought was of the Pharaoh, and he hoped that he would keep his friends safe. He had a feeling that he was being dragged down into the very depths of hell.

**Soooo... how was that for a long chapter huh? again, sorry for the extremely long wait. I hope it was worth it though. You know, it almost makes me a little too sad that I didn't get any reviews last chapter. But hey, at least I **_**have**_** reviews. :P anyway, an experience like loosing my thumb drive has made me want to be able to tell you whats going on. So, it makes it a heck of a lot easier to contact you and talk to you through Facebook. I have a page on there now where I update. I was hoping some of you would go to my profile and notice, but if you didn't that's okay. Anyway, the facebook address to contact me is on there, but if you're too lazy like I am to do so, then namesoftheforgotten**

**PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW WITH A CHERRY ON TOP! :D Guys, I need to know how I'm doing :P Thank you for reading!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Hey again! sorry about taking so long on the last update. Um, I realized I forgot to mention the song in the last chapter. My mistake :P**

**The song was Gone Away by SafetySuit. Oh, and one more thing, the way to contact me through facebook is: www . facebook namesoftheforgotten**

**Anyway, enjoy this new update and remember to drop a review. It's much appreciated!**

* * *

**Atem's POV**

He felt the darkness. Every single inch of it. He felt that he had just been swallowed whole by the darkness. _Am I dead? Where am I? Is there something I can do to get out of this place?_ These questions and more raced through his mind a mile a minute. He didn't know where to begin. He felt so lost and alone, never like before. He knew that he was alone once, before he met Yugi; Ever since meeting him, Yami always felt a sense of warmth, trust, and understanding, but now... he was more terrified than ever before. More terrified that he may lose his life before he could save his companion. _Yugi. Is he alright? _He didn't know.

In the depths of his mind, he somehow understood his situation, but in his current state of panic, he wasn't able to gather and surface the thought. The same thought that might help him get Yugi out of this mess, as well as himself. Yami clutched his head in anger, but when he felt a sense of stinging, he immediately dropped his hands to his sides and clenched them tight.

_This is all wrong. Something's going on here. I wish I knew what was happening. Before I passed out, there was the scream. Yes, Yugi's scream. How is that possible though? we're not connected in any way, yet I was the only one who heard him..._

He growled in frustration. He knew there was danger here. More danger than he had thought before. Was someone after him? After Yugi? And what of the Millennium Items that were missing? The people who possessed them and or knew of them? So much to think, so little time.

When he started thinking of his predicament once more, he realized that he was getting weaker. The moment this realization hit him, it felt like a wave passed over him, dragging him under water. Quite literally, which made him squeeze his eyes shut.

He fell to his knees and gasped for air, He couldn't breathe at all. He knew that much. All of his previous thoughts seemed to vanish, he knew nothing of the questions he had asked himself. As he gasped for air, he felt cold water surround him, carrying him along. He could feel his feet dragging on some sort of ground. With this thought in mind, the burning he felt in his throat, and the small tug on his heart, he pushed down on the ground and stood. He was thankful when he felt his head surface. He gasped in lung fulls of air, loving the cold air as it hit the back of his throat as he dragged in each breath.

When he felt like he was okay again, he slowly opened his eyes to see if he really was indeed in water. To his surprise-and absolute terror-the waves that lapped around his thighs were not water at all. In fact, it wasn't anything he had expected. It was blood. He was drowning in_ blood._ How, he didn't know. One moment he was surrounded by darkness, the next he was floating, and nearly drowning, in blood.

As he looked around, he found himself near a type of shore. It wasn't like anything he'd seen before, it was just a strange pile of sand that stretched out a mile or so. There weren't any trees, that much he knew, but he was thankful that he was at least near _something._ He looked down at the blood swirling around him; he let out a little shiver and waded through the blood to reach the shore. He didn't like being in blood; it made him feel queasy.

As he stepped on the shore, he noticed how much his legs shook, and with it came an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion. He then took a few more steps and collapsed on the ground and his eyes instantly closed; he decided that he would rest a while and then figure out what was going on.

It seemed the moment he had made this decision and closed his eyes, he instantly was being pushed. No, _shoved_. His eyes flickered open again. When he looked to see who was shoving him; he was rather taken aback. It seemed that he wasn't the only one here.

"Kuriboh?" he questioned, looking at the rather angry looking puff ball.

The only reply he got was an angry jumble of noises.

"What is it Kuriboh?" He asked.

The Kuriboh let out a tired-like sigh and began to float away, more to the center of the shore. Taking it as his cue to follow, he gathered himself and stood up; for resting a short while, it sure seemed like he was less achy. Perhaps Kuriboh had helped him.

As he continued to follow Kuriboh, he noticed that the shore he was on went on for much longer than he had first thought. The shore he had come to was definitely bigger, more in length than in width.

"Kuriboh, where are you taking me?" he asked.

Kuriboh didn't answer, instead, he only floated faster, so much so that Yami had to start jogging just to keep up. Yami decided to focus on his feet when there wasn't any answer, but he didn't have much time to focus when he heard a voice. a strangely _familiar _voice. He knew, somewhere deep in his subconscious, that he _should know _that voice, but he couldn't place it.

Kuriboh then came to a sudden stop, and turned back to him. Yami stopped as well, looking at the Kuriboh questioningly.

"What is it Kuriboh?" he tried again.

Kuriboh made a noise, and floated forward just a little more, but was quickly pushed back by a small ripple in the sky. Yami walked over to Kuriboh and, ever so carefully, placed part of his hand forward. His hand was met with a ripple as well.

"Kuriboh, what is this? a portal?" he asked, looking back.

the light brown monster made an approving noise and nodded his head. Yami stared at Kuriboh for a little while longer, but the puff ball nudged Yami forward and into the invisible ripple.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he passed through; he suddenly felt an urge not to look, like he might see something bad. Only when a hand fell on his shoulder, did his eyes snap open.

Yami stared up at a man. He instantly felt the sense of relief, but he wasn't sure why. He looked at the man, then his eyes traveled to his shoulder, then back to the man again.

_Who's this?_ he thought, _I've never seen this man before, but he seems so... familiar. Why? _he asked himself.

"Who are you?" he questioned; he knew that if he let his weak state show, this man may take advantage of it.

The man, whom he'd just realized had the same voice as the voice he'd heard when he was with Kuriboh, smiled kindly down at him. It was at this moment that he instantly regretted asking the question, though, he wasn't sure why exactly. The man removed his hand from Yami's shoulders and placed it instead, on his heart.

"Yami, that is the name you go by now, is it not?" the man questioned.

Yami nodded slowly, "Yes..." he replied; he was still curious about this man, and how intelligent he looked. In fact, he was _sure,_ now, that this man knew more about Yami than Yami knew about himself. _Wait... if this man knows me, maybe he knows my name! if he does, I might finally be able to find out what kind of pharaoh I was in the past..._

The man gave a light hearted chuckle of amusement.

"Whats so funny?" Yami questioned, eyes narrowing.

"Nothing; just that you seem so... different." the man replied.

"Different?" a pause, "How so? What was I like when you first met me?"

Another pause.

"That, I cannot tell you. Discovering yourself and who you were is your job. You need to remember it for yourself," he started, then he smiled sadly at Yami, "And, besides, I wouldn't know what kind of person you actually were when you grew up."

"Grew up? You knew me when I was young then?" Yami questioned. Yami felt his curiosity grow, and he began to notice how intrigued he was.

"Yes. I was there when you were little. You were brave... I..." he looked away suddenly, but Yami stepped forward to look into his eyes once more. He saw silent tears streaming down the mans face. The mans features softened incredibly like that of a child, and it was then that Yami saw the pain and agony flashing before the man's eyes.

"Uh... are you alright?" Yami asked; it was the best he could come up with. Seeing this man crying wanted to make him cry as well. He still didn't know why, but with the way this man was acting, he doubted he would have to wait much longer to know why. He felt like a small secret lingered with him.

The man wiped at his eyes, but he couldn't seem to gather himself together; before Yami knew it, the man-once composed and lighthearted-turned into a sobbing mess, and the tall, old man threw himself upon Yami and wept into his shoulder.

Yami took a step back, shocked at the man's behavior, but he patted his back, and let the man cry. He had a feeling he just needed to get something out of his system. The man really did seem kind and loving. Before Yugi and everyone went missing, he would have just got the man to tell him what was wrong and try to fix it, but he had a feeling that, whatever was bothering him, was unfixable no matter how hard he might try.

"I-I'm sorry," the man stuttered. He immediately backed off and wiped at his eyes furiously. "I-I'm just..." he sighed frustratedly.

"Just what?" Yami coaxed him gently.

"Just... well..." the man paused. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to say..." he began, but the tears came back a little, and he once more enveloped Yami with a fierce hug.  
"You were so brave, and although you got hurt sometimes, you always pulled through. I'd like to think I'd raised you well... my son."

Yami's eyes grew wide at the statement, and the man only hugged him tighter.

_Son? He's my... He's my..._ Yami hesitated, he couldn't finish the thought. All of a sudden an overwhelming sense of love and happiness washed over him, and he began shaking.  
"You alright?" the man asked suddenly, it seemed that he had noticed the tremors that raced through the other.

"Father?" Yami said in a quiet happy whisper.

The man smiled, "Yes. Son, how I missed you so..."

Yami's face grew hot and wet, he could only assume he was crying; which was extremely rare. It had only just occurred to him that this might be the first time he's actually cried with happiness.

He clutched his father close to him; he didn't want to let go. He didn't remember his parents at all, or even what they looked like.. but he saw the resemblance now. The man had wavy grey hair, much like Yugi's grandfather, only a lot less spiky. And he had the kind eyes that Yugi had, but he also had that commanding look, like he was a leader. Well, he had to be if his father was the Pharaoh before him.

"Father?" Yami started, carefully removing his shaking body from the other.

"Yes?"

"If you're my father.. then you should be dead... is that right?" he questioned.

"Yes. But there was a... disturbance, that caused the spirit world and your world to collide." he explained matter-of-factly.

"Collide?!" Yami gasped in alarm. "Does this explain why I suddenly passed out? why I'm here?" he questioned.

"Slow down, son," the man said calmly.

"...Right... sorry." Yami said.

The man smiled again, "Right, now that you're here... I, um, have things we need to talk about before anything goes further."

Yami looked up with a questioning look, but the look his father was giving him suggested that they would talk about it soon, but not now.

Yami had no doubts in his mind that he could trust him. His father. He felt much lighter, much happier. Happier than he'd been in an extremely long time. He knew he'd been happy like this before, but never this much. His body didn't tell lies. He knew that much. This man, for sure, was his father. And he would help him in a heartbeat if he had asked.

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**Yugi's POV**

_Why is the world spinning? Why are there so many voices running through my head all at once? Why can't I just pass out in quiet? _Yugi thought. Though, he knew he wasn't passed out fully. He could feel footsteps-quick by the sound of them-and he heard all kinds of voices. He understood little due to the headache he got when he tried to concentrate on one thing at a time. From here and there, he got little snippets, things like, "Is he breathing?" and "How soon can we get him into the ER?" little things like that. He could only assume though that they were talking about him.

He knew that they must be due to being picked up and touched almost everywhere to see if there was anything wrong with him. But questions formed in his mind.

_Did Sora call for help? Why would anyone want to help me when I was a basic stowaway in her room? Did she talk of me? Is there a place where people know of me, people she trusts, that can take care of me?_

but one thought came to him, one that scared him. _What if Sora didn't know? What if they had assumed that he was a sickly slave boy who just had a little too much excitement?... what if they never let him out of their sights? Sora would surely be looking for him._

He felt a little sad when he thought of her. She always took good care of him and looked out for him. He suddenly felt awful. He'd always go out by himself to explore, and whether Sora knew of it or not, he felt bad for going behind her back to see what the rest of the castle was like.

The pounding in his head increased ten fold and he felt even more voices pressing on him; but none he'd ever experienced before. They sounded all jumbled together, but they didn't sound... human. They sounded like monotone growls, human voices, and shrieks of pain.

It seemed everything going on inside his mind was being twisted, squeezed from his very being; the same way one might squeeze water out of a simple towel. The pain kept on increasing; soon it was too much to bear. He wanted to squeeze his eyes shut, but he couldn't move his body; as much as it was being moved by the other people around him.

He was quite conscious of everything happening around him, he just couldn't do anything about it. One thing was for sure though, he got the sense that he was being moved into some health room where he would be taken care of. He felt a sense of relief as well. He wouldn't have to worry about what was happening at the moment, he'd just let the people take him, and deal with his present situation.

His mind was fuzzy, and he wanted to just fall asleep, but he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried.

All of a sudden, a bright white light flashed before his closed eyes, his mind screamed out in surprise, but he himself didn't.

When the bright light faded, he found himself standing in an office of sorts. What he instantly saw was none other than Seto Kaiba. _A vision! this must be a vision! _his mind clicked.

He walked over to Kaiba to see what he was doing at his desk. He knew it must be some sort of vision because he knew that Kaiba was in that cell when he'd last seen him.

He reached out to grab a piece of paper that lay on Kaiba's desk, but stopped when he saw his hand; he sighed. _A spirit. Great. Ah, well, I'd figured as much anyway. All my other visions I'd had, I was a spirit. So why should this be any different?_

Seto Kaiba moved away from his computer, got into his drawer, and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. Yugi normally wouldn't care about what Kaiba was writing, but when he'd looked at the computer, he saw an email screen; it wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before though. It looked... futuristic. This caused him to look over at what Kaiba was writing down.

He'd thought that perhaps he was writing a type of letter to one of his staff members or to another company's head, but instead the top two words were '_Dear Mokuba_' and from then, he just _had _ to see what Kaiba was writing.

_**"Dear Mokuba, I'm sorry to have left so early this morning without saying any goodbyes. I know that you'll take care of things while I'm gone, but just a fair warning... I may be a little late tonight, I've discovered a way to travel through time, There are certain people I must visit so I can conduct buisness with them, Don't worry, if anything happens I'm sure the geek squad will come running... but I don't expect them to be able to do much. As it turns out these people are an extremely rich company... or so I'm told. Anyway, i'm supposed to meet someone named... Mira. Yeah, I think that's her name. But anyway, I'll try to be back some time tonight. Also don't forget that we have to meet Mr. Muto at the Game Shop tomorrow, I have some... unfinished business to attend to. Anyway, stay safe Mokuba, I don't wanna have to go on a scavenger hunt to find you. See you later. ~ Seto"**_

Yugi's eyes widened when he'd finished reading. _Mira, he's supposed to meet her... will this vision walk me through what happened? _ he thought to himself. His thoughts were distracted by the sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. Kaiba had folded the note in half, wrote Mokuba's name on it, and set it on his desk. All while clicking the 'Sleep' button on his computer screen, slipping on his white signature coat, grabbing his phone and suit case, and heading for the door. On his way, he pressed a button on the side of the door to call a limo. It glowed a faint red, then faded away as he walked out the door.

Yugi felt himself being pulled along as well; it seemed he was now attached to Kaiba, but the vision soon faded, only then to be replaced by Kaiba getting out of a limo, and stepping out on soft, green grass. As Yugi looked around, he noticed that there was a barn-like house to the left of the limo.

He'd thought it to be abandoned when he'd walked past it the first time, but it was swarming with activity. This was it. The place where he had met Mira; and everyone else, it seemed, would meet her here as well.

He followed Kaiba as he walked towards the door that lead into the house; most of the people who had been walking around outside stepped away so that Kaiba would have direct access to the house without having to push past. Yugi followed him closely. It was weird though, the people whom had moved for Kaiba, all seemed to be staring at him. Not Kaiba, _him._ It creeped him out a little, but they didn't move, their eyes just followed him, as he followed Kaiba into the house.

"Hello?" Kaiba called out as he entered slowly.

"Hello." came the quiet greeting.

Yugi looked over and saw a woman standing next to the side of a wall. Yugi felt tremors of fear shake his body. He knew who this was, and he had a _very_ bad feeling...

Kaiba nodded his head in greeting, and the woman lead him down a hallway, taking a series of lefts and rights until she reached a small room. The only thing in the dimly lit room was a small table. It had chairs on either end, and had a red cloth draped over the table; a small glowing ball sat in the center. The woman gestured for Kaiba to sit, to which he grunted in response and sat down. The woman sat walked over and sat across from him.

"Look, if this is some sick game, I don't want any part of it." Kaiba said in a serious tone.

The woman cracked a small smile, "Oh no, Seto Kaiba. This is business." she said simply.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes, but quieted nonetheless. The woman took a deep breath; her blue hair fell forward as she reached over the table to grab Kaiba's hand.

Kaiba looked at her hand confused. "What are you-"

"Shhh." she hushed. She slid his hand over the table towards her, but she stopped when she was about to pass the glowing ball in the center.

Before Kaiba could comprehend what was happening, she quickly placed her own hand on the ball, and then held his hand to the ball as well.

"What the-" Kaiba began, but he was cut off by a sudden shudder that ran down his spine; he began to breathe more heavily, and his whole body bent forward and rested on the table for support. From where Yugi was standing, Kaiba's expression told him everything. Kaiba's face was scrunched up in pain; Yugi could literally see Kaiba's life flashing before his eyes. As Yugi leaned into peer at Kaiba's eyes, he saw many memories both Kaiba and he shared. One of many memories he saw, was of Duelist Kingdom.

Kaiba let out a tiny small cry of pain, something that was extremely rare to see. Yugi's eyes pained as he watched the CEO in pain, but to his astonishment, he began to slowly disappear. With each passing second, Kaiba began to grow less and less visible. Yugi watched as he slowly disappeared; nothing remained of his presence now, other than his brief case that he had brought along with him.

Yugi looked over at the woman, whom had a small smirk growing on her face. "Now Seto Kaiba... you shall discover the true meaning of pain and suffering. Hell _is_ Hell after all." She said.

Yugi began to feel tears rolling down his cheeks. Oh, if only he had known how much his decision had affected the people around him, he would have chosen a different path to take. _What's done is done,_ he thought, tears began to spill more freely down his cheeks. _There's nothing I can do now but try to fix this all on my own. I owe it to Kaiba... and the Pharaoh, and everyone else I pulled into my mess. _

As he saw the woman-Mira, he knew-get up and walk into the shadows, he made a very serious vow to himself. One that he told himself he _had_ to keep.

_ I should have seen my darker half coming. I created him after all; my wants and needs shouldn't interfere with the lives of my friends. I have no choice but to merge myself once more with my darker half, and destroy us both. Maybe then the Pharaoh can figure out who he is, and where he came from. As much as I don't want to, it's the only way to save my friends-and the world-from total destruction. The destruction that I created._

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**HMMMM? is it interesting? if so, REVIEW! please? :D I really hate to say it, but this story is nearing it's end. I'm not sure how many more chapters that I will put out, but the chapters WILL get longer. Anywho. **_**Next chapter will be JUST Yugi's POV. I have some important things to sort out with him before I can move on to Atem's POV. Aren't I a stinker? :D **_**Please, please, please, please REVIEW!**

**(Sorry this chapter is so short by the way. I had to break off most of it because it was wayyyy to long :P)**


	17. Chapter 16

**Alright all, Sorry for the wait. Remember, this is ONLY Yugi's POV. I haven't done any from Atem's due to everything I had to say in Yugi's POV. **

**I understand that you guys were all wanting to know what mess Yugi caused and what exactly happened; so, without further ado, here it is! ^^**

* * *

**Yugi's POV**

As the vision faded away, Yugi was left with fleeting images of what was coming next. So far, there was only one vision; he knew that more were going to come, he could feel it. As if on cue, a new scene appeared. To his astonishment, it was a vision of _his_ past, and what _he_ did. As his surroundings came into focus, it all made sense. He knew what this vision was; he knew what would unfold. The ugliness of what he did brought on a wave of nausea. Even so, he was still intrigued; the first time he ever met Mira, he went unconscious and on the same day a little later, he had awoken safe and sound on his bed. He remembered having a nightmare that involved screams and cries, but other than that, he was perfectly okay. Yugi was always curious as to what had taken place during his unconsciousness, but he was also curious as to how he ended up safely tucked up in his bed at his own house.

* * *

When his surroundings stopped morphing, he realized he was standing in the Game Shop back before everything had happened. Oh how he longed for this to be his reality instead of all the craziness, but he knew better than to start thinking that way. He had to focus on what was happening... How this had all began. As he looked around, he noticed that the shop had yet to open and his grandfather was still asleep in his bed. As the realization hit him as to what time it was, his mind told him this was the exact time it all went down. Then, the phone rang. This was it. The start. Yugi heard footsteps above his head, and then soft thumps of feet coming down the stairs. Then, his body appeared- or, his consciousness from this time in the past. He watched himself climb down the stairs; the back of one hand was rubbing one of his eyes sleepily. Yugi watched as he went behind the shop counter and pick up the phone. Yugi didn't need to hear this phone call, he knew it was Mira, but to Yugi's past self, she was a total stranger. He could remember exactly what was said by both people; Yugi's past self stood there for a moment, spoke, then argued. When Yugi's past self hung up the phone, Yugi could plainly see the annoyance and confusion on his own face. It was weird to see, but he didn't seem to care.

As Yugi watched himself creep back upstairs, he had remembered that Mira had asked him to come to the barn-like house, where Kaiba had disappeared, to discuss certain things... he couldn't remember what those things were though. After these thoughts, Yugi's past self clambered down the stairs as quietly as he could, fully dressed. Yugi had already known that his grandfather was a heavy sleeper; and no one would realize he was gone until much later. Yugi watched himself look around and then head towards the exit. Yugi turned to follow his past self, but he bumped into a shelf displaying a glass chess set. All of sets- pieces and all- fell to the ground with a loud crash. Yugi jumped out of the way at the last second, and sighed in relief. Then, when he heard quickened steps leading to the shop, his eyes widened with surprise. He had remembered this too. He could distinctly remember inspecting the area with the broken pieces and all through the shop, thinking there was some person trying to steal things. Yugi could only watch himself search around; Yugi's past self even brushed up against him; in the past, Yugi had thought he felt a chill in that area, and now Yugi understood why. It seemed he could actually touch and effect things in this time period. Then a horrible thought came to mind, when he was with Kaiba walking up the steps to that house, the people who had parted for Kaiba were staring at him.

It seemed that only certain people _could_ see him. Yugi then grew a little nervous. Was it possible Mira _could_ see him? He felt a chill go down his spine, this was _really _creepy. He shook his head of the thoughts and tried to focus on something else... Then, he thought it. Thought of changing the future; he knew he _could _do it, after all, he could effect the past. He wondered if he could write on a piece of paper, and set it in front of himself to read.

But then he thought of all the things that _wouldn't_ happen. He would never have met Sora, for one thing. He couldn't remember who had told him this, but he remembered someone saying, "If you could change the past- prevent an event- it would still happen. Not in the same way, but it would still happen." If this were true, he'd just be wasting his time. If it were true it would happen a different way, he wouldn't know how to prepare for it, or get around it; besides, it was just too risky anyway. He decided to let things run it's course; he knew that somehow, he and Yami would reunite and defeat Mira. The Pharaoh and everyone else always found a way to defeat any evil.

Yugi's past self had given up searching and had headed out the door; Yugi followed this time, careful of not bumping into anything else. It was still dark outside, which made sense due to the time being around two o'clock in the morning. He was still amazed that he could navigate through the dark _and_ find his way to a house he'd never been to before. Granted the house was big and unique, but who knew how many other big and unique houses there were?

When Yugi and his past self arrived at the barn-like house, Yugi crossed his fingers that Mira wouldn't be able to see him. When they both approached the steps, Yugi felt a sense of foreboding. He hadn't felt _that_ before, but he was feeling it now. Yugi's past self approached the door, not hesitating like Yugi had. Keeping the thought of effecting the future out of his mind, Yugi followed. Before Yugi's past self could knock on the door, Mira had opened the door. He held his breath, then let it out a moment later when Mira had only focused on Yugi's past self. It was also interesting that she looked like an actual woman, not the ten year old she was... or was she _really_ ten?

Back at this time, Yugi had thought Mira was only a kind woman who just needed some help and had an odd way of doing it, but he now knew that this was a lie. She wasn't any kind woman at all. How Mira could be that cruel for no reason, he wouldn't know, but he was thankful that Sora, Mira's sister, wasn't like that at all. In fact, he was glad that he had met her. He thought of his life before he'd met Sora, and then after; he honestly couldn't think about his future without her in it. He knew that she was a good friend, and would always help him if he had asked her. _Maybe the first step to taking down Mira is through Sora. I know that if I asked, she wouldn't hesitate to help me._

Yugi had known that Mira was powerful, even now when they first met, he'd felt it. Her power. Though, he didn't think much of it, and dismissed it. He knew that was a mistake. He should have known better than to proceed as he did, and he should have easily seen what she would become... but it seemed he wasn't smart enough to think about that back then.

While Yugi was thinking these things, his past self went inside. When Yugi was brought from his thoughts, he realized he was alone, and immediately went inside; not a second later he saw Yugi and Mira in the doorway, they were frozen- the vision had paused. When Yugi had reached the two, they both unfroze and proceeded to walk down the hallway. He tried to calm his nerves. The sense of foreboding was growing stronger by the minute, and his pulse was racing. He quickly followed the two down the hallway to the room where he and Mira would sit down and 'civilly' talk. His interest grew when he realized that in the middle of the conversation, he would fall unconscious. He wondered if the vision would go further so he could experience everything leading up to him awaking in his own bed.

Before they had reached the room, he heard the beginning of the very unusual conversation that they had. "Hi, I'm Mira, how are you?" "I'm fine thanks; I'm Yugi by the way." "Yes, yes I know who you are, I was actually wondering if you could help me," and so on and so forth. When the two had entered the room, he noticed there was no door; it was an open space, much like a living room, but with a family sized table with wooden chairs. They had both sat down and conversed. Yugi didn't want to hear the repeated conversation, so he stood by the entry way.

As the conversation went on, Yugi saw something out of the corner of his eye. A person, a girl it looked like, snuck up to the entrance. She didn't enter, but stood off to the side, on the opposite side of Yugi. Yugi could see clearly now that it was in fact a girl. She was about his height, maybe even shorter, and she was a lot younger than he was. He guessed that she was probably around five or six years of age. She had a short, soft and shiny black head of hair that was pulled up into high pig tails with purple ribbons wrapped around them. Her eyes were a striking pair of green, bolder than he thought possible. He hadn't seen any person who had that kind of unique eyes before. She held all of his attention; he couldn't look away. She had leaned up against the wall, listening in to his past self and Mira's conversation.

When he saw the girl listening in, he turned to listen in as well; he knew what was being discussed, but he wanted to listen in again in case he had missed something important. While he was listening, he recognized the current topic as the Millennium Items. He wasn't sure how that came up, but he was pretty sure that he had brought them up. The girl with the black hair leaned in a little closer, apparently intrigued by the current topic of discussion, but... if he wasn't mistaken, the wholee conversation would end very soon.

As Yugi stood listening in the doorway, he was unaware of footsteps approaching, and judging by the girl's reaction, he knew she wasn't expecting them either. The girl's head whipped around and towards another figure. The figure was a woman. Yugi couldn't see what her face looked like, because she was wearing a tan robe with a rope tied around her waist; she was wearing a hood that cast a shadow upon her face.

The girl that was listening in to Mira's conversation took in a nervous breath and bowed her head in respect. "Sister, I'm sorry, I was just-" she was cut off, but there was no one speaking. This struck Yugi as odd, the woman seemed to have powers that allowed her to speak, but only to the person spoken to. The poor girl had straightened up and shook a little. "Yes, I promise I'll leave Sister Mira alone," she said in a hushed tone, then she walked away. She walked slowly at first, then started running down the hallway. Yugi didn't know why the girl was scared, but he guessed there was a certain reason for it. He didn't want to find out that reason. _Wait... hold on a second_, he thought, _did that girl just call Mira _Sister _Mira? _with each event that Yugi experienced, it all got weirder and weirder.

This time, he heard the woman; she had sighed. She then walked towards the entrance to the room where Mira and his past self were speaking. He hadn't realized it when the woman had came, but he and Mira were arguing at this time. When he listened in, it sounded familiar. "I won't allow it!" he had exclaimed,

"I must insist," Mira had said,

"No!" he shouted at Mira, but she merely laughed,

"You'll have a week to decide whether to give up the Items."

All of a sudden, he realized that he didn't remember the woman ever coming in, because that was when...

Right when Yugi thought it, it happened, Yugi's past self had gone unconscious and fell to the ground. Yugi still didn't know what had caused his unconscious state, but now he knew. That woman dressed in the tan robe, she had caused it. She had raised her hand towards his past self, and made a fist; almost like she wanted to squeeze his head. Yugi couldn't stop watching now, it seemed the vision _would_ go beyond his unconsciousness after all. _Come to think of it,_ Yugi thought, _I don't remember everything that happened. The conversation between Mira and I went on a lot longer than I had thought. It's strange to not remember half of what was said..._

"Sister Mira, it looks like you won't be getting any further with him," the woman said.

Mira scowled, "If I had just a little longer to try to persuade him, I-"

"No," came the womans flat reply. "Mira, no matter how hard you try, you'll never persuade him, besides," she added, "We're wasting valuable time."

Mira nodded, "I guess you're right, we need to gather the Items whether we have Yugi's help or not. For the plan to go forward, we need the Items as soon as possible."

Yugi watched intently as the two gathered the unconscious Yugi and carried him out, and down a separate hallway. Yugi saw that they really didn't need two people to carry him, in fact, he was so light that even Tea could probably pick him up.

Along the way, Yugi and the two women passed several doors that led to different rooms; only one was open though. Mira and the woman with the hood paused by the open door. The door led to a small bedroom, as far as Yugi could tell, it wasn't all that big.

When the woman moved around to fit Yugi's past self into the doorway, he only caught a glimpse of her face, he still couldn't see much, but what he _did_ see was her eyes. They were green like that girls, but not as bold. They were a vivid green, but they were also calmer than the girls'.

When they both got into the room, the woman motioned to Mira to set Yugi's past self up against the wall. Yugi was a little surprised that there wasn't any furniture in the bedroom, but he figured that it might be remodeled soon; there was a hole on one of the walls that showed the sheet rock beneath, and the room was old looking, like it hadn't been used in years. Yugi also noticed there was only one window, but it wasn't very big; it looked like it was only meant for looking out of when there was a need to.

While he surveyed the room, the woman had moved to look at a wall. When Yugi's attention returned to the woman, he thought it very odd to be looking at a wall. It looked like she was expecting the wall to do something for her. But then, when the woman spoke only to that girl, it didn't come as much of a surprise to him. She probably had some sort of magic. Maybe it would bend to her will or something.

The woman made a gesture and spread her arms wide, but Yugi couldn't see her very well. He was behind her almost right next to the doorway. To Yugi's surprise, the wall didn't bend at all, in fact, it opened. It was like a mechanical door, both parts of the wall retreated to their own corners of the small room.

When the walls stopped moving, Yugi could see only darkness omitting from the new room. The woman stood still for a moment. Yugi would only allow himself to be so close to both the woman and Mira, even if this was a vision, the thought of manipulating the past kept surfacing and scaring him. He didn't want anything to happen, or cause any change in events.

The woman stepped forward one step, and he and Mira both watched with increased interest. It looked like this was something new for Mira because she sure acted like it was. Since he was a little more interested, he boldly slid across the wall towards the new room, and was able to see more of the new room. He no longer saw the back or the woman, but rather the side of her. He went a little further along the wall, and half way into the new room, so he could see her front and what she would do.

To Yugi's surprise, she didn't take anymore steps. Instead, she slowly untied the rope around her waist, and shed her tan cloak; the hood falling back as she did so.

Yugi's breath caught in his throat, and his heart almost stopped dead. He couldn't move, he couldn't blink. What he saw, was his worst nightmare. He desperately grabbed at the hopes that this was all just a twisted dream, but he couldn't recall ever falling asleep, and as far as he knew, all the events that he had experienced so far were true. This was a vision. This wasn't a dream. This was really happening, or rather, this was what really happened. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he grabbed at explanations, he knew deep down that this woman who stood before him was none other than Sora herself.

"Come, Mira, we must deal with the Three... now."

Mira still stood behind Sora, but she immediately nodded, "I agree, we should get it out of the way while we can." she answered.

Yugi's shock had ebbed some, but not by a whole lot. _The Three?_ he thought confusedly.

-Sora's only reply was a wave and a, "Go fetch them." Mira nodded, then paused.  
"despite her 'efforts' to stay out of trouble, Kali keeps on disobeying," Mira said, then added, "She was spying while Yugi and I were talking, wasn't she?" Sora only nodded, before she once again dismissed Mira.

"I can't believe those three still don't trust us enough," she had said to herself; she stood still for a brief moment, before she made her way into the dark room. She flicked on the lights.

Yugi's mouth fell open, it was the biggest room he had seen by far. There were rows upon rows of machines. They were all different, and they looked like if you got too close to it while it was running, you could be seriously hurt. In the far corner, He saw a row of military tanks; they were covered in dirt, and they were beat up. There was a room in the far back, it was really small from where he was standing, but he guessed it was just because of distance. Other than machines, there wasn't much else. There were metal tables spaced out in rows in the middle of the room, and when he got a closer look, he noticed leather straps in all four corners of each table. He was curious about them, but he had a feeling he already knew what they were- restraints. He wasn't sure why there would be restraints, but then he thought, _is it possible that this is a _torture _room?_ that single thought gave him the chills.

Sora had walked straight for the nearest table, which wasn't too far into the room. She picked up a white lab coat that was laying on the floor, then left for a quick second and came back with a metal tray filled with... tools. He wasn't sure where this was going exactly, but he had a feeling he would find out soon enough.

As Sora had finished putting everything in place, she quickly threw her hair up in a messy bun just as Mira had walked in. With her were three kids. One girl, who looked like she was the oldest, had shoulder length hair and soft green eyes. She looked to be about eleven or twelve years of age; clutching onto her short skirt, was a small boy. Yugi guessed he was about five. He had the same features of the girl he was holding onto, but they were softer than hers. He had an orange pilot hat on, and he clutched a brown teddy bear in one hand. Then, there was that girl again. The girl that he'd seen trying to listen in on Mira and his conversation.

"Kali, Miki, Shiro, you know why you're here don't you?" Sora asked calmly.

"No," came the reply from the girl with the ribbons in her hair.

Mira quickly walked up from behind, and slapped her across the face. It didn't look like it was hard enough to hurt too much, but he understood when he had heard her react. He remembered being bullied, he was punched, kicked, slapped, anything a bully could do, it was done to him.

"You should know, I know you aren't deaf," came Mira's harsh reply.

The girl with the ribbons looked down at the floor, and the oldest girl had walked over to her, the boy still clutching her skirt.

"It's okay, Kali, everything will be fine," she comforted.

Kali looked up into the oldest girl's eyes, "Will it really?" she said in a small whisper; it was so soft that only Yugi and the older sibling seemed to have heard. The girl hesitated briefly, and then gave a small sigh, "I'm sure it will," she replied.

Kali looked away.

Sora had sighed in the background, "I think we all know why we're here," she began, "Kali, you sneak around, and you lie. It isn't something that anyone here likes, and on top of _that_..." Sora stopped. Kali looked up in alarm. "Kali," Sora began again, "You repeatedly steal and sneak away from your home and duties..." suddenly Sora's tone darkened, "You have become a thief, and you know this. You also knew that this is punishable by-"

"No! You cant!" the oldest girl cried out, "I won't let you take her, you bitch!" she screamed out in anger.

Sora shook her head, "Kali, the way you dragged your siblings into this isn't fair. They must be punished as well, but," Sora paused, "We need them for a while yet, so they'll have to deal with _watching._"

"No, I won't let you. She didn't do anything wrong." The oldest girl's voice was a little more than a whisper. The boy clutching her skirt twisted around nervously. "Miki, Kali isn't leaving... is she?" he asked.

The girl, Miki, didn't respond, she just shook her head over and over again, while tears welled in her eyes and fell. Soon, Yugi could see she couldn't hold back any longer. Miki's tears began to flow down her face more freely than before, one drop after the other, flowing down her face like a waterfall. She lurched forward and enveloped Kali in a fierce hug. By the confused look on Kali's face, she wasn't sure what the punishment was to be, Miki seemed to know, but Yugi had absolutely no idea.

The boy, Shiro he'd guess, was flung away from Miki when she had hugged Kali. Yugi could tell the little boy didn't know what was going on, but he walked up to both of his sisters and joined them in their hug.

"I love you so much, don't you forget that Kali." Miki had said, knowing that those would be the last thing she'd ever get to tell Kali.

"Miki, I don't know what's going on, why are you telling me this? Miki, I'm confused..." Kali trailed off.

"Get her ready, Mira. Now." Sora commanded; Miki opened her mouth to reply, but she didn't get the chance as Mira had ripped Kali from her arms.

"I love you Kali!" Miki screamed. Shiro yelled the same, his voice squeaking a little as he shouted it in his highest voice. Sora walked over to Miki and Shiro and ushered them over to a machine. From what Yugi could see from his spot, it looked like Sora had hand-cuffed them both to the deadly machine. At this point, Yugi started to realize what was about to take place. The words spoken, the commands, the room, everything just screamed at him. He knew, with a sinking heart, that Kali was being punished by death.

Unfair was the only word that crossed his mind; Kali was only about six, she didn't really know any better...

"This is to teach you a lesson, Miki, you and Shiro must watch. If you don't, I can always record it and remind you every once in a while," Sora said in an evil voice.

Yugi's eyes grew wide in horror, Sora was _sick._ She was willing to record torture and make others watch it over and over again. Yugi couldn't believe this was the same person he'd met and become friend with. It made him sick. All of it. Yugi walked over to Miki and Shiro, and fell to his knees next to them. He couldn't stand it anymore. This was over his line, past his limits.

Yugi began crying, racking sobs escaped his mouth. He didn't want any of this to happen. Miki was still crying her eyes out, and Shiro's eyes began to well up too, seeing his sister so upset seemed to make him upset as well.

Yugi had already seen Mira viciously strap Kali down to the metal table, all the while she was kicking and screaming out for help, and he didn't want to watch anything more. He knew he'd have to be present though, the vision would only freeze until he returned, until then, he'd be stuck here.

"Please," Miki pleaded, "Let our sister go," she paused for a moment, "We promise we won't lie and we'll try and keep everyone in check- just please _please_ let Kali go!" she begged.

Sora shook her head, "No,"

Miki screamed and shouted and pleaded over and over again, and Shiro seemed to slowly began to understand what was happening, for he too pleaded. Each time words left Miki's lips, it only seemed that both Sora and Mira began to grow angrier, until finally they both could take it no longer.

"You've said you're goodbyes," Mira began, and Sora added, "Its time for it to end for good."

Sora and Mira both reached for the tools in the metal tray, and inspected them for a moment. Kali watched them in pure horror, it seemed they weren't going to put her to sleep first. Yugi couldn't, _wouldn't,_ watch what was going to take place. He had no intention of witnessing with his eyes the brutal murder. He quickly spun around; "This will _not_ be a slow death for you, Kali. You deserve to suffer before you die." Sora had said. Yugi couldn't help but cry more at the statement, it was too harsh, even for an evil person to say. The last words Yugi had heard Kali say before he covered his ears were directed towards her siblings; "I'm sorry for all of this, and I love you. Don't forget me; I'll wait for you." and with a sinking in his heart, he realized that these would be her final words to ever be spoken from her.

After that, Yugi fell to his knees; he was facing the small room that they had entered before. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, and pressed even harder against his ears as the screaming began. No amount of pressure on his ears could fully drown out the sounds coming from behind him. The screams of pain, the pleading, the racking sobs, they would never leave his mind. Yet another realization had hit him, all of these sounds that were muffled by his hands, they sounded...familiar. Yugi didn't want to admit it, but it had sounded exactly like the nightmare he had before he woke up safely in his bed. As Yugi racked his brain as to why the sounds were familiar to him, despite the nightmare, he popped open his eyes for a brief moment; what he saw was the answer he was looking for. Still laying by the wall was his unconscious past self, ears unblocked from the terrifying screams. Yes, now he knew; he was hearing, and witnessing, all of this a second time. It was horror for him, it was all too much for him, he felt like passing out just like his past self, but he knew he wouldn't get anywhere if that had happened.

* * *

At last, the screaming finally stopped; the crying and sobbing hadn't though. Yugi wasn't about to turn around, but he did, however, drop his hands from his ears. The first words he heard this time came from Miki, but she was crying, so she paused between each word.

"You... Merciless... Bitch,"

Yugi felt sorry for Miki, and even more sorry for Shiro. He was young, and he was already forced to do something that literally scarred him. He wouldn't be surprised if the little guy's brain shut that memory out for as long as it could. The trama of this event could have easily made any four or five year old pass out, but from the voices and sobs that were coming from behind him, he knew that Shiro was anything but unconsious. In fact, he was upset; as any little brother should be after witnessing the murder of one of his sisters. Yugi didn't want a visual on what Sora and Mira did, or how. He felt weak as it was, and he didn't want to proceed any further. He needed a break, but the sooner this vision was done, the sooner he'd be able to forget.

Yugi got to his feet slowly, and shakily, but he still didn't turn around. He decided to join his past self by the wall for a while.

"Mira, find someone to clean this mess up; and take the body with you. Throw it in the incinerator."

Yugi squeezed out the rest of his tears as best as he could, he'd already cried so much today, and it was a miracle he hadn't passed out yet.

"Of course," was the reply. Mira's footsteps retreated, and Yugi heard Sora and the two kids shuffling around. He wasn't sure what was going on at this point. Then, Mira entered the room. With her was someone he would have _never _expected.

It was Kaiba. He was wasn't wearing his usual clothing. Following Kaiba, was Bakura and Ryou carrying buckets full of water, and sponges. Yugi couldn't believe his eyes. It seemed that they were captured before Mira and Sora had ever met him. _Then that means they must have known about the Items!_ he thought. Then he just about face palmed. _Of course they would know! They're from the future!_

As Bakura, Ryou and Kaiba all passed Yugi, he wondered how they could all be so quiet. From knowing how Bakura was, he wouldn't listen to anybody; neither would Kaiba. Ryou, on the other hand, would help someone any way he can, but he normally just did what he was told to do if someone told him to do something. For a while, nothing had happened; Bakura, Ryou and Kaiba, from Yugi's guess, were scrubbing. Yugi shuddered, if he were any of those three, he'd be scarred for life. After the scrubbing stopped, Yugi tentatively turned his head to look back at the room. To his amazement, it looked exactly as it had when he'd first seen it. Nothing was out of place, even Miki and Shiro were no longer there. As Bakura, Ryou and Kaiba all left carrying buckets of red water, Mira and Sora turned to each other, speaking softly. Yugi didn't hear what they said, but Mira had nodded at what Sora had said, and left the room again.

Sora then closed her eyes with a sigh, and walked over to Yugi and his past self. It felt weird though, to see Sora coming at him. By the amount of time that had passed, he'd grown close to her, or at least, he'd like to have thought he did. This was a whole new side of Sora, and quite frankly, he was scared of her. He didn't want to be, but he was.

Sora kneeled before Yugi's unconscious self, and rolled him over to face her. His past self's eyes were closed, but his face was twitching a little. This was something the Pharaoh had told him that he'd always done when he was sleeping; apparently passing out the way he did was an exception.

Sora's next action confused him, though. She smiled softly at him, and brushed his bangs away from his face. Yugi thought he must be seeing things, because it looked like she was about to cry. He didn't know why, because he didn't even meet Sora at this time. Yugi was startled when he saw a lone tear drip from one of her eyes. "I..." she began, "I don't want to do it..." she squeezed her eyes shut and she placed her head on top of his unconscious self's chest. "Mira, she... I sent her away for a moment.." she murmured through his clothing. Yugi wasn't sure now whether she was talking to herself, Yugi's past self, or him. It seemed like all three to him, but Yugi doubted she was talking to _him_. If she were honestly evil, she'd never show weakness in front of anybody.

"Wake up," she whispered desperately. "You're the one, I know it. You can _free_ me from her." she hesitated momentarily, "Please, get up. I _need you_, Yugi." she whispered again, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Now Yugi was definitely confused. He wasn't sure now if she was evil, or if she was just trapped. _Wait a second!_ he remembered, _Before I had passed out, there was that other me! could it be that, perhaps, Sora has an evil side too? Could it be that they aren't two separate beings? _then another thought came to him, _I see now why Sora didn't want to be too far away from me, now. If she was really trapped, and if I'm the only one who can 'free' her, she probably didn't want me too far from her in case her darker half came out!_

now it was clear why Sora was acting the way she did, she wasn't evil at all. Yugi knew that everyone had a dark half, and hers was conscious inside her own body. He guessed that this was what made it hard for her to control herself. When he was around her, she didn't have to control herself, she was able to freely think and act the way she wanted to; and when he was away, she wouldn't be able to control her dark half, and it would surface. He knew now that it wasn't _Sora_ who had killed that innocent girl, it was in fact, her darker half that she can't control.

This new situation gave him a whole new perspective on things. When Sora and Mira had both carried his past self into the room in the first place, she just _acted_ like her darker half in order to protect herself, and then when she moved away from him, her other self surfaced and took over. Now that he knew this, it seemed so obvious. If he just hadn't forgotten about his _own_ counterpart, he would have realized it right away. As Yugi looked at Sora's face, he noticed that she was younger looking, like she was a little older than Miki.

Then Yugi wondered, When he first talked to _Mira_ on the phone, she'd sounded older than she was, and when they had met by the front door before they had even entered this house, Yugi hadn't realized it then, but immediately Mira's facial features went from older, to younger. It seemed that both Mira and Sora _weren't_ the ones that were evil. It seemed they were being _used_ by their darker halfs. _But how did their darker half's become conscious?_ he asked, then, _Wait, if she pretended so as to protect herself in front of Mira, then that means... She doesn't know that Mira has a dark half too! She must think that Mira's actually evil. Same for Mira, she probably thinks that Sora is evil, so _she_ pretends to protect herself as well!_

With each passing second, new thoughts entered Yugi's mind, new realizations. It was all like water was being poured into a glass from a faucet. In other words, it was way too much at one time. Yugi felt a little dizzy, but his thoughts stopped when Mira entered to room once again, and Sora's head immediately went from Yugi's past self's chest to an alert, somewhat older looking, look pointed directly at Mira.

"What were you doing, Sora?" she questioned,

"I was uncertain if he was breathing." She stated in that calm, collected voice. Yugi had seen her cry only moments ago, but her face showed no sign of tear shed.

"Alright then," Mira began, "Let's get it over with,"

Yugi saw Sora hesitate for a brief second, then, "Of course,"

_What are they going to do to me? _Yugi thought, then with sudden horror, he thought of Kali. Would they do to him what they did to her?

"I'm going to unlock the door to that room, Sora. Will you grab him?" she asked.

"Yes," was the immediate reply. Yugi was surprised at this; he didn't think she'd be too keen on carrying him.

Sora scooped Yugi's past self up off of the floor with surprising tenderness in her eyes; Yugi could see that she definitely looked younger now, and definitely not strong enough to hold someone all on her own. He'd go help her, except that this was a vision, he didn't want to effect anything, and his past self was the one being carried in the first place.

Sora stumbled every few steps, but Yugi was surprised that she had managed to hold him up in the first place. He wasn't exactly _light_. Sora headed deeper into the big machine room, and eventually they reached yet _another_ door. The door was open a crack, and Mira had opened it up the rest of the way. Once she saw Sora struggling, she raced to her side, and began helping her. Together they got Yugi into the room. The room wasn't like anything he'd seen yet so far. In fact, this room was quite familiar to him. He'd never been in the room before, but it felt like one of the rooms in a doctors office. It had the table, the one desk with the chair in a corner, cabinets on the walls, and posters about health hung around it. It was also small like those rooms. While Mira and Sora where carrying him, he saw the features of both women change into those of little girls; they seemed so innocent and honest, but when they both set Yugi on the table, their features grew hard again, and they both looked older. Mira moved away and reached for something behind the table.

"I got the Mirror while I was waiting," she said while she pulled the item up onto the table.

"Oh," was Sora's reply.

Now that Mira and Sora were all closer to Yugi due to lack of space, they didn't display those evil glints in their eyes. It seemed they were pretty much both in control, only a little of their darker selves were showing in their features, but that was about it.

"You want to do it?" Mira asked,

"No, you do it." she stated,

"Right," and Mira proceeded to stand in front of him, and hold the Mirror close to his face. However, just then, Yugi's past self awoke. "W-what are you doing?" he said drowsily. He bumped Mira's arms away from him, The mirror clattered to the ground.

Mira sighed, "Don't do that," was her reply. "We're kinda busy, and we don't need you knocking things out of our hands,"

Yugi's past self's eyes widened, "What are you going to do to me?!" he exclaimed as he struggled to get off the table. Mira flung herself over top of him, and held him down,

"Quick, Sora!" she exclaimed, Sora hesitated for a few seconds, it seemed she didn't want to do what she was told, but then her mind was made up. She quickly grabbed the Mirror that had fallen, and quickly stood in front of Yugi's past self. She stood there a moment longer before Yugi's past self's eyes rolled into the back of his head. Mira then let go, and stepped back.

Yugi looked at Sora, but she closed her eyes and looked away from everyone. He could only guess that she was starting to cry a little because her shoulders shook as she drew in ragged breaths. When Yugi looked back at his past self, he most definitely didn't remember any of this. He wondered why, but concern took over when his past self jerked from side to side violently, then grew faster like he was having a seizure.

Yugi waited for something to happen, he knew things wouldn't end badly because he had woken up in his own bed. Was someone going to save him? Someone had to, he knew that Sora and Mira wouldn't dare to. As Yugi hoped for something to happen, his past self's spasms began to grow weaker and weaker, like he was dying, and then his movements stopped all together. Yugi drew in a shaky breath. Maybe the vision was still going, maybe nothing would happen yet.

Darkness then began to spew from his body, nothing like he'd ever seen before. He wondered what it could have been, but then Sora and Mira's auras suddenly changed. They weren't like they were before. They were much denser and ominous.

"He's seen and heard too much already," Sora stated; she said it in a deep voice, deeper than before. When he turned to look at her, she was taller and older. Mira was the same, no sign of any soft expression, it was pure evil. He felt it in his heart; he was surrounded by evil and it felt like the devil himself came up to live inside these two women.

"Inject him with that Memory stuff," Sora said, "He needs to have his mind erased of most of what has taken place, but," she paused, "Don't let him forget what you said earlier. He needs to remember that he has to hand over all the Items before the week ends,"

"Of course, Sora," Mira replied, and she proceeded to grab a needle and vile, and extract a clear liquid. She then walked over, jammed the needle into his skin, and squeezed the clear liquid into him.

"Done," was the reply.

Yugi's past self began to shake again, not like before. He looked like he was having a seizure then, but now it just look like he was full of energy and bouncing. Yugi knew this wasn't good. Sora exhaled angrily.

"He gets on my nerves," she said to Mira, then, "Forget it, just kill him." she commanded.

Mira nodded, and went over to one of the cabinets on the walls. She then grabbed a small knife. It seemed they were both serious.

Yugi waited for his rescuer; Mira advanced on Yugi's past self's shaking body, and still Yugi waited. It wasn't until Mira had lowered the knife to his chest that Yugi realized no one would be coming. If he didn't do something quick, he would die, and the everything would fall apart.

As quick as he could, Yugi raced forward and knocked the knife from Mira's hand. Sora was standing next to Mira when this happened, and she caught the knife; she looked squarely at Yugi now, and Mira had a brief intake of breath. There was no doubt in his mind now that the two of them could see him. He quickly scooped up his past self in his arms, he turned and as he did so, Sora made a swipe with the knife to hit him. She missed, and Yugi raced out of the small room as fast as he could. He raced past the rows of machines and tables, into the small room they first entered. He exited that room and raced down the hallway. He saw Miki and Shiro along the way, they were leaning up against the wall. It seemed that he was visible to everyone now, because both of their heads shot up in alarm. When they had seen Yugi race past, they were both shocked and confused. Miki had raced out after him, and Shiro trailed behind. Yugi realized how odd it may look to everyone he passed to be carrying the very image of himself. Miki had fast legs, Yugi realized, for she was running along side him. She seemed to know that he was carrying himself.

"You're from the future, aren't you?" she puffed.

"Yes, but-"

"I need to know if anything changes!" she yelled, "I need to know if Mira and Sora will ever be defeated!" she said desperately.

As quickly as he could, he explained to her that Mira and Sora weren't themselves, but were merely being controlled by their darker halves. "And," Yugi added on, "There may be someone out there who looks like me, but he'd be older looking," he took a quick breath before adding on, "His name's Yami, he's a powerful Pharaoh that lived a long time ago, it's hard to explain everything at the moment, but he can help you." then, "In fact, he's probably the only one who'd be able to help you. You can tell him I said that," he said and took in a deep breath.

Miki didn't say anything for a moment as they raced down the hallway. Just then, Shiro caught up,

"What's your name, Mister?" he asked, "And you're friend that's the only one who can help?"

"My name's Yugi," he replied to him, "And that would be Yami," he repeated.

They both nodded, "If we see you in the future, we'll do our best to help you as best as we can; we promise we won't tell you that we already know you in case something happens!" she shouted as Miki and Shiro began to slow down.

"Alright, but you can explain everything to Yami, he'd understand!" Yugi shouted to them.

"Look out! Mira and Sora!" Shiro called suddenly, and when he looked back, he saw the two kids disappear into the nearest room, and seconds later, Mira and Sora appeared; they were racing after him.

He squeezed his eyes shut and drew in a long breath, he was getting tired, and a stitch was developing in his side, he wouldn't be able to hold on all that long, but he could still try to out run them.

And out run them he did. He raced even faster down the hallway, twisting with the curves of the house, and soon he burst through the exit of the house. He glided down the steps, his past self bouncing in his arms. He then proceeded to run home. Along the way he realized that Mira and Sora had given up his pursuit and he took his fast pace run, into a fast pace walk.

When Yugi did reach the house, it was about five o'clock. He stared in amazement at the clock. He'd witnessed so much and done so much; he thought it might be well close to about eight or nine o'clock in the morning. He quickly cleared the surprise from his head, and made his way up the stairs to his room. Grandpa would be getting up soon, and if it were true that people could see him now, he didn't want his grandpa to freak out when he saw two separate Yugis.

Yugi quietly crept into his bedroom, and kicked the door softly closed. He made his way to his own bed, and lay his past self down. He drew the covers over him, and patted his head. He then left in a hurry, and headed down the stairs and out the door. He now had time to think things through. While he thought, he now understood what happened. He did have an effect on the past after all. He had woken up in bed because his future self had saved him and brought him home. He was glad though that he wasn't hurt too bad. Then, Yugi thought of Yami. He hadn't been through all of this- he was in the Puzzle still. The Puzzle he had passed twice only seconds ago. It was still on Yugi's desk, and he had to pass it in order to get himself to the bed, and to leave. He wondered if Yami had sensed anything about this night, or if he had seen anything. Yugi gave a small sigh, he'd never fully understand how time worked. He had the general idea down now, but he knew if anyone who knew time better than him, it would be Yami.

* * *

As the vision faded around him, he felt a sense of peace creep over him. He was still worried, but he didn't have to creep around or run any longer. The vision was gone, and he could finally get some peace... hopefully.

Little did Yugi realize that he had witnessed his darker half's birth- how he came to come into this world and was able to bump into him later on. The very mirror that he had bumped from Mira and Sora's hand was the key. It seemed the darker half of both Mira and Sora had gotten what they wanted from the mirror. The minute Yugi gave the final bump to that mirror, was when his darker half formed, it reflected an image of Yugi and that was what gave it it's form. If only Yugi knew that his darker half had already been waiting for the command from his master, things might have been different...

* * *

**O.M.G took me literally DAYS to write this. And can you imagine how long it took me to WRITE it? geez. Sorry for the long wait. I need a break from writing sometimes. But I hope you enjoyed!**

**Also, I want to know how this chapter was, so if you'd kindly leave a review, I'd be MORE than happy to write the next chapter. LOL. Thanks again for sticking with me this long guys! it means a lot :D**

**What do you guys want for the next chapter? Do you want it to only be Atem's POV? or do you want it the regular with the two POV? PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT READERS :D XD**


	18. Chapter 17

**YEAH BUDDY I UPDATED. SURPRISED? SO AM I :D  
****Well, here's your chapter! ^^ sorry for how late this was. It wasn't as late as the last chapter was, but I was messing with this chapter because I felt it was a bit rushed in the beginning… I still didn't like how it turned out for the first part, but the rest of it is pretty good. Also, lots of dialogue… :) Enjoy!**

* * *

Yami was still in disbelief that his father was here; he had thought that he'd never see him again. Of course, there was still the afterlife, but Yami was still not sure if he'd actually meet up with everyone from him past. He had faith, yes, but there was always this lingering sliver of doubt. He'd have to ask his father about this.

He looked up at his father, "Father… What's it like in the afterlife?" he asked. It wasn't exactly what he'd wanted to ask for sure, but regardless, he was still curious.

"Well, first off it-"he was cut off suddenly. His eyes grew to huge saucers, like something was wrong.

"Father, please, tell me what's wrong." He urged. His father looked at him with fear in his eyes, He couldn't respond, Yami realized, and before Yami knew it, his father's figure began to faze, almost like a hologram skipping. "No!" Yami shouted, "Stay with me, father!"

Yami's father's eyes softened, and he smiled. It was like he was telling Yami that everything would be ok, so, why didn't he feel alright? He felt like his heart was being pulled again, like he was losing something he just got back. His father, he realized, he'd just gained back his father and now he was losing him once more. He was dead, and was talking to him as a spirit. But, was it _real_? Now that he thought about it, the beach wasn't very realistic, and the water? Well, he didn't want to think about the water.

Before Yami's father was completely gone, he heard a voice drift over to him; it was faint, but he could still hear. "Be safe, my son. I'm always looking out for you."

Yami felt tears well up in his eyes, but he refused to shed tears; he had to be strong, and if he wanted to make it out and get Yugi, he'd have to focus.

How did he get here? Kuriboh had guided him to a rippling vortex of sorts. Who was here? His father. Was there a meaning behind that? How did he get here? If it was a trap… he'd never forgive himself for falling into one. If it was real… he didn't know. Nevertheless, he'd have to move on in order to continue. So, the real question was how to get out of this and get back to where he had been before with King Oren and Queen Izumi. He thought about what was going on there, but he couldn't really guess. It seemed though, less than an hour ago, he'd been with the King and Queen, but just a few seconds ago, he'd been on the island, and then stepped into the ripple.

Was the ripple for anything specific? Was it just space? No, there had to be some type of purpose, some type of explanation as to where he was. But, where exactly was he? Everything that surrounded him was black. Black floor, black walls… but wait. It didn't feel like he was trapped. It felt more like… He had his eye lids closed. He could see, but there was nothing _to_ see. Just blackness was what remained.

Yami started to feel exhausted. He needed to stop asking questions and listing the things he knew. He had to find a way to get out of this mess. He sat on the black floor- if you could even _call_ it a floor.

He hadn't even begun to sort through what he knew before there was another rippling vortex that formed in front of him. What he saw didn't process in his mind until after it happened.

A young girl, around Yugi's height, probably around the age of eleven, was forced through the ripple, and she collapsed on her hands and knees. "No!" she screamed in frustration. "Not this place again! I hate this!" she shouted in outrage.

Three… Two… One… Zero. Yami jumped to his feet, realizing what happened. There was a girl, and she'd been here before. Had she gotten out then? It had to be that. Maybe she knew the way out of here!

When he moved to get to his feet, the girl seemed to notice that he was there. She took a step back, like she was frightened of him. "W-Who are you?" the girl started. Yami thought a moment as he analyzed whether to trust her. She was wearing a bright red shirt with big stars covering the front, and she was wearing a thigh-length white skirt. Her shoes were actually working boots with laces; they were brown and they came up almost to her knees. Her hair was a pretty black colour tied in pig tails with ribbons. She also had the boldest and prettiest eyes he had ever seen. Her stance showed confidence, but her eyes betrayed her and showed her true fear and confusion. She was also staring at him, expecting an answer to her question no doubt.

"My name… It's Yami," he began, "And who might you be?" he questioned curiously.

The girl smiled shyly then, "My name's Kali," she said in a small voice, "Kali Kohanna."

"Pretty name," Yami commented, He did this to make her feel a little more relaxed, but he did mean it. Her name w_as_ pretty.

"Thank you," she replied with a happy smile.

Yami nodded, "So… how'd you get here? _Why_ are you here?" he asked as politely and as friendly as he always did when he was around strangers.

Kali thought about this a moment, "I don't really…" she let her sentence drop, "Wait a minute…" she said, and her eyes started to grow rounder as she stared at him.

"What is it?" Yami asked, concerned.

"Y-You're…" Kali backed away from Yami slowly. Yami stared in confusion, "I'm what?" he asked.

"Y-You're…"she shook her head. "You lied to me,"

"Lied?" he asked, "About what?"

She took a breath, "You aren't Yami, are you?"

Yami was momentarily startled, "What do you mean?" he asked in confusion.

"You're Yugi! You're the one who was working with… _them_!" Kali shouted.

Yami's eyes widened. "Yugi!?" he exclaimed, "You know who Yugi is?!"

Kali's retreating steps faltered for a moment, "What are you talking about? You act as if you aren't him… But you look exactly like him! You have to be Yugi!" she shouted.

Yami just shook his head, "No, I'm not."

"H-How then…?" she questioned.

Yami sat on the black floor again, and signaled for her to join him by patting the 'floor' beside him. "I'll explain, if you'll let me," he said in a calm voice. Kali seemed to debate this, but then made up her mind by hesitantly making her way over to him, and sitting down beside him.

* * *

Kali sat there, stunned. "So… You're an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh from a five-thousand year old artifact?" Yami simply nodded and she turned to him.

"Ok, so let me get this straight," she murmured. "Not only were you a pharaoh, but you _lost_ your memory as well?" she questioned, her expression clearly puzzled. "So, wait... how did you lose your memory then? Did you save the world or something?" Kali asked.

Yami sighed, all signs that he came across told him that was the case, "To be honest, I have no clue. I don't know who I am, and I don't know anything about my past… or even my real name."

"So, your name isn't really Yami then?"

"For all I know, it could be, or it could be something completely different."

"Well," Kali shifted her position on the ground, "How do you know you're a Pharaoh from Ancient Egypt then?"

Yami thought a moment, trying to word his thoughts correctly to a young girl, "It makes sense," he concluded, "And, every bad guy I face calls me 'Pharaoh' and mentions to me why he wants to destroy me; revenge of sorts, I guess… and there were mentions of Ancient Egypt as well." He finished.

"All of them?" Kali asked, "The bad guys, I mean."

"Uh-huh," he confirmed.

"Huh, well, you must be a Pharaoh then," she paused for a moment, "You must have done something really big in order to have had other people want revenge," she said.

Yami pondered this. "Hmmm… I never thought about that before,"

Kali blinked, she then stood. "Well, I say you're an ok guy. I feel that I can trust you now that I know a bit about you." She said warmly; she smiled down at him. Yami returned the smile, but then, when he asked about her story and how she got to where he was, she immediately let her face fall.

"It's honestly a long story," she replied. Yami shrugged, "You listened to me, so it's only fair that I listen to you; plus," he added, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in how you came to be here."

Kali cracked a small smile, "Ok then, where to start…" she sat down again and started thinking hard.

"Have you ever met Mira or Sora?" she began.

Yami's expression darkened. He could already kind of guess that something had happened and Mira was responsible.

"Mira, I have personally met," he answered, "And Sora? I heard of her briefly…"

"That's to be expected," She confirmed, "Sora doesn't do much."

Yami raised his eyebrow, "How so?"

"Well," Kali started nervously, "Sora… She's, well, I wouldn't say she's actually a _good_ person, but she's not exactly _bad_ either..." and in barely a whisper, she quickly added on, "And Sora and Mira are my cousins."

Yami's eyes had widened, he didn't hear what she had whispered correctly, he had only heard the first part: Sora being bad…

"Yugi's in danger," he whispered, deep emotion surging through his voice. He lurched to his feet, and started desperately looking for an exit. There had to be some way to get out of this. He started running everywhere, even though he knew it was probably useless; there wouldn't be any exit signs, there would be no guide, or easy way out. He'd have to make his own way and get out. His rapid heartbeat seemed to want to explode from his chest when he realized this. It was probably due to the urgency and desperation he was feeling.

"Wait!" Kali called after him suddenly. He heard panting behind him; when he glanced back, he realized that she had gotten up from the floor, and had raced after him. "Yami!" she called, "What did you just say?!"

Yami slowed and halted. Kali caught up then; they were both panting due to the hard running. As Yami caught his breath, he replied to her: "I said that… Yugi was in danger," he repeated.

Kali raised her eyebrow, "How?"

"Yugi… the day I met this little boy… I had seen… a crystal ball of sorts…" he said, still trying his best to make out a full sentence, but he paused a moment.

"That isn't a crystal ball," Kali answered before Yami continued, "I guess for you though, it would be kind of considered as a telephone,"

Yami blinked, and then continued. "I looked in it, and saw Yugi; I was somehow able to communicate to him with my _thoughts _though. When our conversation ended, he said…" Yami gulped then, "He said that he was ok thanks to a friend he would trust with his life… Sora."

Kali's eyes widened in fear, "Oh no…" was all she could say. Worry was clear in her expression, however. At this point, everything seemed clear to him, as well as Kali. They made a silent agreement between each other. They would have to find Yugi and get him back safely.

It was oddly comforting to know that he wasn't the only one in a desperate search to find Yugi. Still, though, why would she want to find Yugi so badly? Do they know each other?

_Perhaps she's just heard of him before, and when I brought Yugi up she felt that he was important… yeah, that makes sense._ He thought.

Kali began to roam around, probably looking around for a possible exit, Yami didn't know.

"Kali," he addressed her, "Do you… _know_ Yugi?" he asked."

She halted, and turned her gaze towards him. "On a level…" she answered carefully.

Yami cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean by that?"

She sighed, "That's quite a tale as well."

"Is there any basics you could tell me, then?"

"It wouldn't make sense,"

"Why not?"

"It's a story, Yami, not information." Kali said with a sigh of irritation.

Yami groaned, "We don't have time for that, then…" but Kali seemed to be mulling it over, "We might…" she replied.

"What?"

"Well, I was in her before, I remember, so we might have time to squeeze in another story…" she said.

"You were in here _before_?" he questioned, he had guessed the first time, but it seemed his guess was correct.

"Yes…" she replied.

"How'd you get out?"

"I didn't get out by myself…" she said; Yami gazed at her curiously, trying to figure out all the possible ways she could get out with another person. After a while he seemed stumped.

"How then?"

"Well," Kali began, "My Aunt discovered me by accident, and she freed me." Kali said simply.

"And…? Who was your Aunt? Maybe she'll be able to help." Yami suggested.

Kali shook her head, "She won't be able to help," She paused for a moment, gathering her words to answer his questions. "My aunt?" she thought, "I know you met her once…"

Yami thought about this for a minute, "Was I here in your time?" Kali's only reply to this was a nod.

Yami sighed, the only person he could think of who might qualify was the King and Queen… but wait, didn't Kali say that Sora and Mira were her cousins? He knew that Mira's mother was the Queen, so… then it must be her… right? He asked her just to make sure, and she nodded again. So, then that solves _that_ mystery…

"Queen Izumi's your Aunt," Yami stated again, "Yes," Kali repeated. "I knew you had met her before," she added.

"It took me a while to figure it out, but I narrowed it down," Yami said in a light hearted tone. Kali smiled a little, but her smile fell a little as she dove into her thoughts. Both Yami and Kali stood in silence for a few moments, thinking about their next actions.

"We need to get out of here and find Yugi." Kali stated. Yami nodded in agreement.

"You were saying that your Aunt got you out… So, how can we get her here to get us out?" Yami questioned.

Kali shook her head sadly, "She was able to get me out by waking me up; she just happened to come across my body, and she shook me awake," Kali answered.

Yami couldn't help but feel a little surprised by this answer, "Waking you up? So, you mean we're asleep now?"

Kali nodded, "Yes, kind of. Our minds are somehow connected though, allowing us to communicate."

"But what about the running? I ran out of breath-"

"Brain signals," Kali cut him off, "What your brain thinks you are doing causes your body to react. When your mind thinks you're doing hard activity-running for example- your heart rate increases, causing the blood to flow through your body even faster, The simple fact that your heart is pumping so fast, causes that drained feeling. Instinct, if you will." She stated.

"Oh," was Yami's startled response. Since Kali appeared to be only ten, it seemed she was smarter than she looked. "Is there a way we can wake up ourselves, then?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Kali thought, "But, from what I understand, we need to be woken up from the outside."

"Hmm," Yami thought, "My Millennium Puzzle is on my body… but it's not on me at the moment- Uh, what do we do when we wake up?"

Kali seemed to be debating internally about this.

"You'll probably have to find me first," Kali said.

"What do you mean 'find you'?!" Yami exclaimed; Kali closed her eyes for a minute, before opening them again, ready with a response.

"I know I'm a little kid, and I may not be too good at thinking things through, but I just have this feeling that just because our minds are linked, it doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to be near each other." Kali reasoned.

"That makes sense," Yami agreed, "But how are our minds linked then?"

"I've no idea," Kali answered.

"Ok then…" Yami fell silent again, trying to think up what to do next.

"After you find me, I guess our next priority would be to look for Yugi." Kali planned.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. But then, after that, things will start to get a little complicated." He warned.

Kali just stared blankly at Yami, "But isn't our only goal to save Yugi?" she questioned.

Yami shook his head, "Remember what I told you about the Millennium Items when I explained to you who I was?"

Kali's eyes suddenly lit up with realization, "Oh! They were all taken away, along with everyone that ever knew about them… except you and your Puzzle… it's the only one left…"

Yami nodded, confirming everything she stated, "And, I aim to save everyone and get the Millennium Items back."

Kali nodded, "If you'll have me, I'd like to help you any way I can," she hesitated, then added on quickly, "I know I'm only ten, but I can do a lot and I can-"

"You can help me," Yami cut her off. Kali's eyes sparkled in delight. "Really!?" she exclaimed happily; there was no way she could possibly hide the glint of excitement and happiness in her gaze.

Yami nodded, "Yes, once we get out of here that is,"

He was about to start planning how he was going to work out how exactly he was going to wake up, when a sudden thought struck him.

"Kali, if you aren't near me, I'm going to have to find you, correct?" She nodded to this.

"Alright, what is the last place you remember being at?"

Kali thought for a moment, then she winced a little and gave a big shudder.

"I…" her eyes started to grow rounder, and started to water a little. "I actually…" tears then started to fall from her eyes, "I may not be able to help you after all…" She then collapsed into sobs and Yami took her into his arms and hugged her. He gently petted her hair and rocked her from side to side-something he had tried to do when Yugi was upset, but he then found out that he couldn't physically touch him at the time.

"Shhh… It's ok, calm down." He whispered as he hugged the girl even tighter to his chest. He didn't like it when anyone cried, or got upset. He didn't know if he was that way when he was Pharaoh, but nevertheless, it's what he felt now.

Kali tried to calm herself as best as she could, and eventually succeeded, but she was panting and hiccupping due to how hard she had been crying.

"Can you tell me why you may not be able to come?" Yami asked in a soft voice.

Kali buried her tear-streaked face into the front of Yami's T-shirt. "I was taken into a secret room with my brother and sister… I could see Yugi there too, but he was unconscious, laying next to the wall," Now _that_ concerned Yami, but he let her continue, "Mira strapped me to a table…" she paused, trying to even out her breathing, trying to prepare herself for the next big part to tell. "My brother and sister were forced to watch… Both Mira _and_ Sora… they were…" Kali took a deep breath then and finished her sentence with the last of her strength. "They were killing me!" She then collapsed into racking sobs in Yami's T-shirt again.

"I can't remember what happened after that," Kali managed to gasp out a few minutes later.

Yami mulled this over, "Well," he reasoned, "How would you be here if you were dead? You said so yourself that our minds were linked. If you were dead, you would have no mind to link to."

"W-What?"

"If our minds are connected like you say, then you would have to be alive in order to have that link, right?"

She looked up at him; she was still being squished against him.

"I'll find you, I promise," Yami reassured her.

She smiled a little through her fading tears, "Ok, I'll hold you to that,"

Yami then released his grip on her and she broke away.

"I'll wait here for you until you wake me up." She said.

"Is there any specific way to wake you up?" Yami asked, but she shook her head no.

"I guess you try to wake me up however you can," then a bolt of curiosity shot through her, "Wait… How do _you_ plan to wake up?"

"A theory of mine… Which I'm counting on," Yami answered. "I've no idea if it'll work or not, but I think my Millennium Puzzle can wake me up."

She nodded, "I think it'll work, from how powerful you tell me these items are, I'm pretty sure it'll work."

Yami nodded, "If you have faith, then so do I. I'll see you soon."

"I'll wait for you." Was the last thing she said to him as she sat back down on the dark ground.

Yami stood still, closed his eyes, and clutched at the place where he knew the Millennium Puzzle would be on his actual body. It was hard to believe that this body he had currently was just a projection from his mind. It felt so… _solid_.

He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, and tried to concentrate solely on the Millennium Puzzle. He heard a tiny gasp, and he cracked open his eyes a little to see that he had a faint glow around him. He shut his eyes again, and tried to focus harder on the Puzzle; he even started pleading to it in his mind.

_Millennium Puzzle, _he thought, _Please, I can't do this alone. Wake me up. Please!"_ He begged. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, _Please!_ He shouted internally.

There was a sudden burst of light that even Yami could see from underneath his eyelids.

* * *

As the light receded, he tentatively opened his eyes. To his amazement, he was in the same place he collapsed in the first place. No one was there, though. It just seemed like they had left him there, however, it didn't seem at all like the King and Queen would do something like that. Something was definitely wrong.

He wanted to investigate more, but his first priority was Kali. He never went back on a promise, and he had promised her that he would find her and wake her up.

As his mind began to function and process the events, his surroundings reminded him of what happened before he had passed out; he had been hearing things. But what were they? He remembered the Queen telling him about the servants- err, Waythers. But, when he had looked out the entrance to the big throne room, he saw servant people- but only _he _could see them. Was it possible that he was seeing spirits? Was it possible that it was Yugi screaming back then? If it _was _Yugi, that meant he was already in trouble. This meant that he would have to find Kali quickly, so that they could search for Yugi together.

He stood up, a little too quickly; He swayed, getting a momentary headache and a drop in blood pressure- causing his vision to go black for a few seconds. He looked down at his clothes, checking to see if he was presentable. There was a little dust on his pants, probably from being on the floor, and then he noticed red splotches on the ground; at the sight, his hand raced up to one of his ears, and he tentatively touched it. It felt crusty, and from the feel of his neck, and the feel of his shoulders of his coat, it became painfully obvious that his ears had been bleeding for quite a while. He bent down on one knee and glided his fingers across the red area- the dried up blood.

As Yami felt the blood, he came to the conclusion that he had been out for a longer period of time than he had thought. He had thought that he was out for at least two or three hours at the most, but no. He was out for _at least _three _days_.

He had to hurry; he had no idea where to even go, what time it was, or where he was even going to start. First things first, though, he had to find Kali like he had promised.

He got to his feet again and tried to walk at the fastest pace he could go at the moment, which, was only a half-stumbling speed walk.

He got to the hallway and saw four different directions he could go.

_Damn_ he thought, _which way do I go?_

He was about to turn left upon remembering he had walked in the first time by the right, when all of a sudden he saw a familiar face. A _very _familiar face. One he had been looking forward to seeing. He froze in place again, letting the person draw nearer to him.

"Y-Yugi?!" Yami exclaimed, "Y-You're alright?!"

Yugi stood there a minute, his eyes widening. "Yami! Yeah, I'm fine. How did you-?"

Yami cut him off, "Yugi, we have to find the others and get out of here."

Yugi just nodded.

"But… First, I'd like to find Kali."

"No, you can't!" Yugi exclaimed suddenly; Yami's expression grew confused and surprised. "Why not? Kali's on our side…"Yami said.

"No…" was Yugi's reply.

"Yugi, I couldn't sense any evil come from her, and she was even able to have our _minds_ connected, which, doesn't usually happen when that person is evil."

Yugi sighed, "Never mind, let's go get her then…" A pause, "…Where is she?"

Yami thought about where she could be, and that room… but Yugi probably wouldn't know, Kali had said he was unconscious… which he decided that he would talk to Yugi about later.

"The Infirmary?" Yami guessed.

"We can't go there." Yugi said abruptly.

"Why not?"

"People. They'd see us." Yugi stated simply.

"Hmmm…" Yami thought, then an idea came to him. "What if we pretended to be Waythers?" he suggested.

Yugi stared at him a while, blankly. His expression didn't give off anything. Not even confusion or uncertainty. It was just… blank. Yami began to feel a bit unnerved by this, because he'd never seen Yugi stare at him like that, and never for so long. It almost seemed like he was glaring rather than staring, now that he thought about it…

"Yugi?"

Yugi blinked, "Uh…Yeah… Sure, I guess we could start there."

Yami nodded, trying to forget what had just happened, "Alright, any idea on how to do that?"

"Well," Yugi began, "We don't need to dress up, just change a few things. Then, I guess we just show up and pretend to be on a job…" Yugi guessed.

"hmm… Alright then. What can we change?"

Yugi tugged at Yami's blue jacket, "You'll need to take that off, it's caked in blood."

"Uh, right…" was Yami's response. He waited for a type of comment or some form of concern to appear in Yugi's eyes like usual… but nothing happened.

As Yami slipped his jacked off, he thought it was odd- Yugi seemed to be acting very strangely. If he knew Yugi like he thought he did, Yugi ought to be at least curious as to how he was bloody- it seemed Yugi was always concerned about Yami's safety… Of course Yami didn't always agree with this, but Yami found that he missed Yugi's concern. Yugi always made him feel as if there was someone who actually cared about his well-being.

_He must have changed a lot,_ Yami realized, _the future must have done this to him. Seeing how everyone has acted for so long, and the fact that he was around Sora doesn't help either._

But then, thoughts of Sora appeared in his mind. Wasn't Sora evil as well? How could he be here if Sora had a tight leash on him?

"Next, is to get you cleaned up," Yugi interrupted his thought train.

"Right," was his response. He decided to push those thoughts to the back of his mind. Yugi was with him, and by all means, Yugi would stay with him, not matter what happened.

* * *

As Yami and Yugi exited the bathroom, which they had entered upon Yugi shoving Yami inside in order to clean up, they both looked better than when they had first walked in. Yami's blood was scrubbed off carefully; Yugi would watch and tell Yami if he missed a spot- Yugi didn't seem too keen on touching Yami's blood. Yet _another_ odd thing. Yami had a body of his own now, and Yugi did as well; Yami would have thought that Yugi would have been at least happy to see him, and want to hug him- Yugi always said that he wanted to physically hug him, though, this was a while ago, so he wouldn't be too surprised if Yugi's thoughts changed.

"This way," Yugi directed. Once they had left the bathroom that was just a few meters away from where they stood outside the Throne Room before, they turned right to continue down the hallway.

The hallway was huge, there were many paintings on the walls; they were very detailed portraits that were painted. The very first two portraits he saw were of King Oren and Queen Izumi themselves. There were others as they walked along; a few were flipped around so as to never be seen, and a few were removed all together. As Yami hurried down the hallway, Yugi suddenly stopped, causing Yami to bump into him.

"Hey Yugi…?"

"Nothing, come on, hurry." Was his quick response. He then started to speed walk, which was very odd. Yami tried to keep up but his body still wasn't fully recovered from his collapse not too long ago.

"Wait! Yugi! Slow down!" He shouted, because as he was thinking this, Yugi's pace kept on increasing. Yugi did hear him however, because he had turned back to shout: "Yami! Please hurry!"

He sounded… scared? Of what though? He couldn't feel any presence…

He finally lost sight of Yugi five minutes later, and he stopped to catch his breath. He was breathing quite heavily for barely a speed walk.

"Damn," he cursed aloud, "How am I gonna find Kali now?"

As he gathered his breath, he felt a small tug on his sleeve. He turned around in alarm, scared out of his wits, but he was met with two familiar faces.

"Yami? Where are you off to?" came a small boy's voice.

"Shiro, nice to see you again," he said, smiling, then added, "I'm looking for someone is all… where's your sister?"

Shiro looked up with his innocent round eyes, then he looked over his shoulder, and low and behold, there stood Miki. She gave a tiny wave, and Yami seconded that motion back to her.

"Alright, well, I best be going. Yugi ran off without me so I have to catch up." Yami told them.

"You found him!?" both Miki and Shiro exclaimed.

"Actually, technically, we ran into each other." Yami corrected.

Miki and Shiro looked at each other, then, "Take us to him,"

Yami was rather taken aback by this demand, but nodded. It had to have been something important if they were in that much of a hurry to get to Yugi.

He hurried down the corridor as fast as his legs would carry him, stumbling along the way. Miki and Shiro went to either side of him and wrapped both his arms around one of their shoulders to support him. He glanced at them gratefully.

"Where were you off to? Any specific destination? That friend of yours, we'll help you find her if you want…" Miki said.

"Thank you, I'd like the help." He smiled. He then thought a moment, "Yugi and I were headed to the infirmary…"

Shiro looked up at him, "Why the Infirmary?" he questioned. Yami tried to shrug, but couldn't. "Dunno," he voiced instead. "It's a place where she could be."

* * *

"Here, the Infirmary's here." Miki whispered as they stopped by the nearest door. Yami slid in behind Miki as she entered, and Shiro slid in behind Yami. He was surprised to see the place swarming with activity.

There were a few nurses dressed in white, running to gather mini oxygen tanks with masks attached to them, and blood bags. From Yami's knowledge, he wasn't too sure what they were for, and few other nurses grabbed something else Yami didn't recognize, but he did notice them grabbing several bags of clear liquid- fluid, he realized. One of the nurses glanced at them; she has brown hair and brown eyes, almost an exact replica of Tea, only she was shorter.

Seeing as they didn't need anything, she snatched up a bag of fluid from the nearest drawer, and disappeared behind a white curtain.

Yami, Miki and Shiro all looked at each other, and, with a nod from all three of them, they made a silent decision to follow her.

_It may lead to people from my time, and with luck, Yugi could be there with Kali waiting for me._ He thought hopefully.

Miki and Shiro tugged him along, but a clear voice rang out across the room, "No! Don't!"

Yami and the siblings all froze and whipped their heads around.

"Yami!" the voice shouted angrily.

To Yami's astonishment, it was Yugi who had called out.

"Why not?" Yami called back. Yugi was standing at the opposite end of the room, which was connected by yet another doorway.

"Because, Just trust me." He said in a rather annoyed voice.

Yami had never known Yugi to act annoyed with him before, or even angry towards him. The Yugi he knew would have a calm voice, telling him that it was strictly 'not ok' to do something, and it was never 'just because'. Nevertheless, Yami brushed it to the back of his mind.

"Tell me what's behind the curtain at least?"

Yami thought he saw a flicker of uncertainty and fear flash before Yugi's eyes.

"Sick people on the verge of death," was Yugi's scared whisper of a response. Yami could hear Yugi, but it didn't seem like he was trying too hard to be heard. He had then heard Yugi mumble something about 'being in there once' which made Yami very uneasy and sad for the young boy. No one deserved to be kept in a room full of half dead people.

"He's right," Miki whispered sadly, "From time to time, the nurses and doctors rush patients in there who look half dead already."

"I see…" Yami thought, "but-"

"You're going in there anyway aren't you?" Shiro guessed.

Yami nodded, "Y-Yeah, I'm still a little curious, and," he added, "My friend may be in there…"

There was a shuffle of movement out of the corner of Yami's eye. He turned to look, and where Yugi should have been, was an empty doorway. He heard retreating feet that sped into a run. He made to go after him, but a soft, fast paced beeping sounded from the room behind the curtain. His head swiveled back when he heard loud voices over the top of the beeping.

"If your friend _is_ in there, they won't let her leave, even if you ask politely." Miki commented, "That beeping is someone's heart monitor. If your friend is in there, this could be the perfect opportunity-"

"But what if it's _her_ heart monitor?! What then?" he shouted in alarm.

"Well…" Miki trailed off. "If we're going to go in and get her, we should probably do it now." Shiro interrupted.

"Right," Miki and Yami said in unison.

Shiro disappeared behind the curtain, while Miki and Yami waited for the 'clear' signal. When Shiro _did_ give the signal, Yami and Miki both darted behind the curtain just in time to catch Shiro opening the metal door. There were no windows behind the curtain, so he couldn't see anything that was going on until he was inside.

When he entered the room, he found it to be bigger than he expected it to be; it was as big as the Throne Room. There were rows of beds, but they were all spaced out with machines on either side. Many people lay on the beds with tubes all over their bodies and breathing masks on their faces.

The beeping noise he had heard before had increased in volume, and the number of nurses were now increased due to the doctors that had joined them. Yami tried to pinpoint where the beeping was coming from, and found that where the nurses and doctors were gathering the most was around one particular bed. He couldn't see who was laying on the bed though, due to how many people who were blocking his view.

He was about to go up and push his way through, he didn't know why, but he heard a wail in the background. It was not a wail of pain, it was a wail of grief.  
He turned around though to see Miki and Shiro flopped over a bed, hugging each other and someone beneath them. He walked over to them and pulled both Shiro and Miki away. When he looked at the person they were hugging, he let out a barely audible gasp. There, lying on top of the covers was Kali. She had only an oxygen mask on with a portable oxygen tank beside the bed. She wasn't changed, like all the other patients. She had on exactly what she had on when they met. She had on her red tank top with yellow stars and her white knee-length skirt, however, her shoes were off. What made him feel a stab of sorrow, was the condition of the clothes she was wearing. Her clothes were caked in blood- more than _he_ had when he woke up. It actually looked like she had described; Mira and Sora _did_ seem to try their best at killing her.

"Kali," he breathed. He quickly picked up the oxygen tank, which he gave to the shocked and startled Miki and Shiro. They seemed to be in a daze, but they looked like they knew what was going on, and held the tank.

Yami scooped Kali's body up as gently as he could; sideways so that her side was facing towards his front- Tea and the others would probably call it 'bridal style' even though it didn't feel that way.

He found Kali to be lighter than he thought she would be, though, considering that she was still a child, it wasn't too much of a surprise for Yami.

On his way out, he passed several other people, but there were only two who he recognized: The King and Queen, side by side; their beds were pushed together and were especially big.  
When Yami first saw the two, he made an effort to walk a little faster and not pay too much attention. If it were true that Queen Izumi and King Oren were the Aunt and Uncle of Kali, then it must be the same for Miki and Shiro.  
Luckily a few nurses came over and blocked their view as they walked past. But what struck an odd chord in him was the fact that no one seemed to notice Yami, or the others.

He wouldn't blame them though. The beeping was still going on- they hadn't been in the room that long anyway. As Yami exited, he heard the doctor shout 'Clear!' and there was a high pitched noise and then a _thump_.

When Yami left the room completely, he could still hear the doctor shouting 'Clear!'

He thought about the King and Queen, eventually he'd come back for them; they were nothing but kind to him and he thought he should try to help them as best as he could, though, why they were even in there in the first place was beyond him.

After Kali woke up, and after he found Yugi, they would all work together to free everyone taken from their time, as well as the Millennium Items, and stop all this madness once and for all.

* * *

Yami set Kali down on a couch inside Miki and Shiro's bedroom. When they were exiting, Yami wasn't sure which way to go, so Miki mentioned that their room was closest and a safe place to stay just in case. The door connecting Miki and Shiro's room to the hallway was slightly ajar, and from time to time there were footsteps outside, walking past from one end of the hallway to the other.

Just when Yami thought he could go about waking Kali up, he heard something. Footsteps. By the sound of it, there were lowered voices sounding. Waythers no doubt.

"Shhh," he whispered to Miki and Shiro when they struck up a conversation. He wasn't exactly sure what piqued his interest in the voices outside the room, but he ignored the lingering question. Two female voices were sounding.

"-Was Scary," One of the girls whispered.

"I know, I heard the poor thing almost died. If it hadn't been for Vix, the poor boy would have died for sure," the other one whispered back.

"Agreed Yume, but… he's still pretty strange. Ya ever saw a boy like him?"

The one named Yume was silent for a few moments. "Nah, I've never seen anyone with _that_ odd'a clothing,"

"Who'd ya think it was?" the other girl asked quietly.

"Dunno," Yume responded, "I saw the boy right outside the first dorm of the Wayther area; he was screamin' so loud my eardrums almost burst,"

"Did ya hear that Sora was with 'em? Cryin' even?"

"Naw! Really? She don't cry… But, She mention a name to ya?"

"Yeah, I think so; She told Vix when he asked about the name,"

"And?"

"Yugi Matta or something or other…"

Yami's whole body froze in place. He couldn't move. This was so shocking, he couldn't even blink. His body felt tense. All sound- including the women's voices, were drowned out by a sickening feeling of dread.  
He knew that the person the women were talking about was Yugi… was he still alive? Did he make it through? It hurt him to think he had just been there not too long ago, and thought of the whole situation to be a good thing so he could get Kali out of there… even then he had heard the doctor, probably Vix, shouting 'Clear!', and it didn't even faze him when it should have.

The whole time. The whole time it was _Yugi_. _Yugi _ was the one dying. He was dying and there was not a single thing he could do about it.

A sudden thought struck him though, a thought that turned his blood to ice. Yugi, he was fine before, even standing by the doorway when they had first heard the beeping. So… was it really Yugi in that bed, then? Or, was there really two Yugi's? If there_ were_ two, then which one was the _right_ one?

Yami couldn't think anymore. He was so confused now, that he didn't know what to do next. Was the half-dead Yugi the real one? Or was it the other one? Or neither…?  
All these thoughts made him get a pounding headache that made him want to curl into a ball and cry.

* * *

**Soo… XD yes. I was sort of happy with how this turned out, but I didn't like the first part…**

**Anyway, I wanted you to know that on my profile, I have a poll set out about this story, and I'd very much like for you to vote!**

**Also, a few thoughts for next chapter: **

**1. Which Yugi is the real one? Or is neither of them Yugi?  
2. What's the deal with Sora? Why was she crying?  
3. What is happening to Yugi?**

**You'll find out the answer to all of these questions next chapter! (let's hope we won't have to wait about a few months for the next chapter XD that would suck… OH YES. I STAYED UP UNTIL 1 WHEN I HAVE TO GET UP AT 5 TO TYPE THIS FOR YOU. I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY :3 Jk, love you guys.)**


	19. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18 FINALLY. LOL. Anyway, sorry for the lateness of this chapter; I have two POV's in this to make things better... and I made it long for you, to make up for that lateness… and, since I have finals next week, and had the EOC this week, I hope that the length of this chapter fills in for that. I wanted you to know that next week will be the last week of school for me, so I will definitely update more frequently, and hopefully finish this story over summer vacation. Thanks for sticking with me this far! :D**

**Yugi's POV**

Yugi couldn't say he was very pleased with his current situation. Ever since he had that vision, which could technically qualify as a flashback, he'd been so afraid to actually come back to reality.

What was with Sora? She wasn't really… _evil_ was she?

Yugi honestly couldn't believe that Sora was truly evil; she didn't act like it, at least. But… In his flashback, Sora really did have the intention of killing that girl. What was her name? Kali…? Yeah, that sounded right.

Now that _this_ flashback was done, he had some time to think about previous events. Events b_efore_he had first passed out. What _had_ happened?

Right, Bakura and Marik. Ryou and Mariku. Seto Kaiba and all the others; they were imprisoned. And what of Marik? Had he been out for so long that Marik had actually come to meet him and discovered he was missing? Last time he saw everyone, they were all in a cage; but… he had seen Marik and his family doing laundry before. So, they had free reign, it seemed, during the day.

It seemed that the more Yugi thought about past events, the more his head started pounding. _Maybe thinking back is a good idea; it may bring me back to reality! _ He thought. Yugi wasn't sure why it might work, he just had the feeling it would. Yugi then tried to think even further back. Past when all of this began. The first time he had met Tea, Tristan and Joey. It was hard to remember how exactly they became friends; it had been so long ago, and Yugi knew that it was thanks to the Millennium Puzzle that he had friends at all. Thinking of his friends now made him want to cry a little. They weren't with him now, they were in the past-er, present-er… his time.

Yugi sighed, he had to admit, it was very difficult without them being there… In fact, Yami wasn't there either. Right now, he was all alone. He had no one.

He trembled a little. He was still in the darkness that had taken over when the last vision faded. He couldn't tell if he had his eyes closed, or if they were open. It seemed so long since he'd been awake. Was he even awake now? He couldn't tell. He was confusing himself too much. He felt like giving up. But wait, what would his friends say to that? What would _Yami_ say to that?

He felt determination course through him, and before he knew it, out of nowhere, a beam of blinding, white light shot at him from the darkness. He had to squint in order to not be blinded. So his eyes _were _open after all. He tried to turn away, but he felt himself shield his eyes with his hand. So… was he in the real world? No… he had to realize that even in his dreams he had a body. So… a dream then? Or… the real world? It was still so frustrating for him. He hoped that something good would come out of this beam of light; otherwise he might just go crazy.

Something good indeed; the light raised him in the air, and like a black hole, sucked him in. He was so happy that he was finally free of the darkness that he didn't notice that there were people standing over him now. The only thing he could take in was his surroundings.

He burst into joyous tears because, finally, he was awake in the real world. Granted he was in the future, but it was the real world nonetheless.

"Is he alright?" a voice sounded above his teary laughter.

"I'm not sure…" a woman replied.

"I can't tell if he's upset or happy," a soft male voice spoke, to which a similar, but harsher, voice replied, "I didn't really care in the first place…"

"He's probably both." The first voice sounded again.

When Yugi finally calmed himself down, he focused on the people around him. They were all people he didn't recognize, to which he felt a little uneasy. The only thing that concerned him heavily was his location.

"W-where am I?" he managed to speak. There were a few small collective gasps, and a few shuffling feet. The people who were looking down at him moved aside for a few other people to appear.

Ryou, Ishizu, Bakura, Marik and Seto Kaiba all gathered around where his head was lying.

"An answer to your question," Kaiba began, "I haven't the slightest clue," Ryou bumped him lightly in the shoulder, and Marik stepped forward instead.

"Actually," he began, giving a small glare at Kaiba, "Ishizu, Ryou and I brought you here: The Infirmary."

Yugi looked around to confirm, even though he didn't need to. "The… Infirmary…?" Yugi voiced. It sure didn't seem like one. To put it simply, it looked like the inside of a tomb without the symbols. Not to mention the only light being used was from people carrying torches.

"I wouldn't call it the infirmary. I'd call it a joke," was Bakura's snide remark.

"Bakura…" Ryou said warningly, and Bakura huffed and turned his head.

"Anyway…" Ishizu started, "What's most important at the moment is to tell you about what had first occurred to you before you had passed out."

"You sure it's ok to bring it up _now _Ishizu?" Ryou asked nervously.

"He'll be fine." Kaiba said bluntly.

Ishizu and Marik looked to be a little nervous, and this raised Yugi's anxiety level. What happened before he had blacked out?

"Yugi… we… well, we had a bit of trouble," Ryou started, "We didn't think that… well, we thought-"

"I'm going to stop you there, Ryou," Bakura interrupted. "Quite frankly, you're annoying. Not to mention confusing. I'm going to explain."

Ryou hung his head at this, and everyone had fallen silent.

"To be frank, Yugi," Bakura began, turning to stare down at Yugi's face. "When you exited the Wayther cell room, we all had heard banging and crashing noises. Mariku and I found a way out of the cell to see what went wrong.

"Unfortunately, you were already unconscious, but at the time, we didn't know that. But, besides that, we saw…" Bakura paused, his breath faltered momentarily. It seemed Bakura was actually… scared. And for a criminal-type of his caliber, serious shit must have gone down.

"We saw two of you." Someone from the crowd said.

The crowd moved aside for a second time to reveal another familiar face. Though, one he had wished he had never met in the first place.

"Mariku," Yugi addressed.

Mariku smirked, then walked over to Bakura. It seemed that they had developed a twisted sort of friendship, because when they saw each other, they both gave a devil's smirk in the other's direction. If Yugi didn't feel a little intimidated by the two of them, he would have seen the tremble in their steps and a horrified glint in their eyes.

Yugi did notice, however, Mariku's uneasy shuffle. He didn't forget. He _couldn't _forget. The time he had spent running around and dueling Marik… What he couldn't get past was the fact that Marik's evil half, Mariku, could seem so… sane when he had his own body. Then again, if Yugi was stuck as a spirit and crammed into someone's mind, he'd probably go crazy too. So, all in all, having a body of your own must be the best feeling in the world. Even knowing this though, Yugi couldn't deny that Bakura and Mariku were more powerful now that they both had control of where they went and what they did during the day. Marik must feel the same way. But, now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen the Pharaoh in real life, either. He'd only ever seen him when one of them was in spirit form, or when they communicated through his mind; he'd never been able to touch him either. He hadn't been hugged when he was upset, or gotten a high-five, or a pat on the back in congratulation.

He wondered what it would be like; granted it would be odd, but it wasn't like he couldn't get used to it.

"Yugi?"

Ryou's voice snapped Yugi to the present.

"You don't seem too shocked…"

Yugi blinked up at Ryou. What had been said to make him shocked?

"Uh… Shocked about what?" He voiced.

Ryou stared down at him, "Yugi… we told you five seconds ago… are you feeling alright?" Ryou asked, then placed a hand on his forehead just to make sure.

Yugi tried to move away from his hand, but Ryou still had his hand on his head. Yugi then decided to slap his hand away. Surprisingly, he wasn't able to lift his arms or legs, only wiggle.

"Ryou, you can stop now. He's irritated," Mariku said, bumping his hip into Ryou's side. This caused his hand to fall away, and he whimpered. Yugi would too, if it was Mariku touching him. He was pretty scary, not to mention a psychopath.

"I'm not irritated," Yugi braved.

"Oh?"

"Listen, I just… want to know something."

"What is it?" Ishizu asked.

"Why are my arms and legs strapped down to the table?"

The room fell silent. Even the people that were standing back fell silent. No one moved, no one coughed; No one dared even to blink.

"Yugi…" Ryou said, a tremor of sadness escaping him as he said his name.

Yugi swiveled his head to look at Ryou. Ryou took a breath, "Well… we still weren't sure if you were the real Yugi…"

"Real me?" Yugi echoed confusedly.

"Yes," Ishizu chipped in, "You see, Yugi, when we found you, there was more than one you."

Yugi blinked; he let what Ishizu said sink in. _That's right, _he thought _I was first knocked unconscious by another me I ran into in the hallway._

The more Yugi thought about what happened, the more he began to think about his visions. Now, he had a strange feeling that this 'other him' was somehow connected to what had happened in his vision. He only wished he knew this person's name though; he didn't like referring to him as 'his other self', because that obviously wasn't true by the way he had acted. Anyway, there was nothing really to suggest that his other self had even appeared in his vision, unless… _The mirror! It had to be the mirror! I knew there was something wrong with it!_

Yugi must have had a horrified look on his face, which is exactly what he felt when he thought about the mirror, because he was being shaken.

What surprised him though, was that Mariku and Bakura were the ones shaking him. When Bakura and Mariku both decided that Yugi was effectively snapped out of his thoughts, they let go of his shoulders.

"Yugi, don't space out like that. It's a hassle to get you back." Mariku murmured.

"S-sorry…" Yugi stuttered; he probably wouldn't ever get used to having Mariku, the psychopath, being in such a concerned and caring mood.

He then turned back to Ishizu, Marik and Ryou. It had only just dawned on him that Seto Kaiba was no longer there.

"Where's Kaiba?" He asked.

A small sigh escaped Ryou, and Yugi looked at him with interest. "While you were spacing out, Kaiba was called out for work." He said sadly.

"Called out for work?" Yugi asked.

"Do you know what a Wayther even is?"

"Yes," Yugi answered, "Sora explained what a Wayther was to me when I was with her…"

There was an uneasy silence that followed his words.  
"Yugi…" Ishizu and Marik said in unison.

"…What?" Yugi asked warily.

"Sora… and Mira… They're the reasons we're here." Bakura spoke up.

Yugi's eyes widened, but then softened again with sorrow. "I had a feeling when I saw her in my vision…" Yugi murmured softly, "It's still so hard to believe since she was also so nice tom e."

When Yugi sighed, Ryou spoke up, sounding a little shocked in the process.

"She was… nice to you?"

"Yes…" He answered.

"Yugi, when she's with you, what does she look like?" Mariku interrupted. "What do you mean?" he answered, and his head swiveled over towards the spiky-haired Egyptian.

"I mean…" He thought a moment, "Did she look older, or younger when you're around her?"

"Oh…" now that Yugi thought about it, the Sora in his vision did seem older, but when he was with her before, she was young looking.

"She's young," Yugi answered.

Yugi was startled when relief seemed to wash over everyone's faces. "W-what is it?" he stuttered.

"Ishizu stepped forward then, eyes glowing with hope, "You may be our only way out of here, Yugi."

When Yugi held a puzzled expression, she elaborated.

"Marik, Odion, Mariku, and myself have been here longer than anyone else we know," She began, "We all are treated as Waythers here, and so when you came, I was curious as to why you weren't put with us and labeled as a Wayther.

"Marik, Odion and I were curious and did some asking around; what we gathered was really helpful.

"When Mira and Sora were babies, powerful and vengeful spirits were sealed away in them. These powerful spirits were ancient; even more ancient than Bakura, the Pharaoh, and even Mariku."

Yugi couldn't help but listen intently. Ryou was unbuckling the straps that held Yugi down; once he was released, he sat up and moved so his legs were dangling over the side of the table he was previously lying on. He turned his gaze back to Ishizu, telling her to continue.

She sat on the table next to Yugi and turned to face him before she continued her explanation.

"The spirits in which were sealed within Mira and Sora were thought to be silenced forever; however, the spirits were found to be able to manipulate their bodies and actions.

Like Mariku, if their host dies, they wouldn't be able to exist, so we suspect that their goal is to get bodies of their own or gain immortality in the host they're in."

Yugi pondered this a moment, "So, if they wanted to gain immortality, that would mean that their host won't ever die." He concluded.

"Exactly," Ishizu confirmed.

"But, how do we tell which one is which?" Yugi asked curiously.

"We can tell if it's the spirit easily, actually." Marik said happily, "It's just a matter of noticing before it's too late,"

"Oh…Kay…" Yugi started, "But, what you were saying before… about me…?"

"Oh," Ryou answered, "Well… since Sora seems young only around you, it's safe to say you're the only one she can be around as herself."

"Woah, woah, woah, woah… wait," Yugi crossed his arms in an 'X', "What do you mean 'young'?"

"That's how we tell between her and the spirit, "Mariku stated.

"Oh, well that makes… sense, I guess." Yugi said, a puzzling look still plain on his face.

"Listen," Bakura spoke up for the first time since seeing Mariku, "All you need to know is that you're safe. Sora and Mira's spirits won't be able to physically touch you, not if they want to be in control of their host's body, at least."

Yugi blinked, what Bakura said actually made a strange amount of sense. But… it still didn't quite fit when he was back in that vision. He'd been unconscious and in the same room when that girl… he couldn't think of that now. What was that girl's name, anyway? Kali… yeah, that was it. But… what had changed since that time?

As Yugi began thinking, he couldn't pull himself out of it. He felt like he was on a thought trail that could get him, and everyone else, out of this mess. The mess that he created. In fact, when all of this was over, he'd come clean with everyone and tell them the truth. That they were all involved in this because of him.

_But, besides that, _he thought_, why am I able to control Mira and Sora's spirits instead of in the vision? What was different _then?

There must be something that he had control over… If he could figure out what power he held that pushed the spirits away, he could use that to his advantage! He might be able to purposely shove the spirits away for good, and save Mira and Sora! And if Mira and Sora are saved, then everyone else, including the Millennium Items, will go back to where they belong- in his era. The only thing that remained now was a much needed plan. A plan that would work without fail.

"I think… I need to sleep." Yugi said, whilst rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands.

"That might be a good idea," Ryou replied. "But, I'd come stay with us. You can't be in her over night; it's used…" he trailed off.

Ryou was the only one left in the room now, besides him. It was getting really late, and only Ryou had insisted on staying to wait for Yugi.

"Ryou, are you saying you want me to go to that cell room with you?" Yugi questioned.

"Well… I'd honestly rather you not go anywhere else… especially when there's another you running around. And, to be honest, I can't really trust some people out there if something were to happen to you…"

Yugi let a yawn escape his mouth, "Alright, Ryou. Lead the way."

As Ryou helped him down from the bed, he'd realized that he hadn't been on his feet for quite a while; he swayed momentarily, and Ryou had his hands on Yugi's shoulders in order to keep him steady.

He was exhausted; he didn't expect to be thinking and zoning out like he did, but in a way, he was thankful no one disturbed his thought train.

Ryou led Yugi into the quiet little cell room; he entered in a different way then when he had first discovered the room. It was through a door in which was connected to the room he had woken up in hours before.

"Ryou, will I be able to lay down somewhere?" Yugi asked as Ryou grabbed the handle to the entrance of the cage.

"Yes, you'd be surprised at how big it actually is compared to the outside."

"Oh…" was all Yugi could say, before he was guided into the cell.

Ryou was right though, it _was_ bigger on the inside. From his perspective, half the room wasn't part of the cell; that was the part he had walked in on, the first time. The other half of the room, which he was in now, was obviously the cell half. When you neared the middle of the room, cell bars blocked the path, and concrete flooring was put down. As you went further into the cell, however, the room expanded and plain grey carpet was laid down; there was also a cold draft coming from the walls. There were many beds in the cell room, but they were all scattered and pressed up against each other, much like it was all crammed into one place… which it was. But, it was plain to see that all the Waythers were well cared for. Clean blankets and pillows were scattered on the beds. At least Yugi knew that it slavery wasn't too bad; in fact, it much looked like work, only all the workers slept all together in one place.

Since it was night time now, every one of the Waythers were curled in their beds, blankets upon blankets covered them. The room was cold, and most of the Waythers were wearing coats and gloves under the snug blankets in order to keep them warm.

"This way, there's another bed next to mine that is empty; its less cold over there, so you should be plenty warm with blankets." Ryou said, and he guided Yugi down the rows of beds nearest to the cell bars. It seemed they had entered the cell from a back entrance.

As Ryou and Yugi reached the two neatly made beds, Ryou let one hand pull the covers back on one of the beds while he helped Yugi lay down again.

"You should be ok in the morning without help," Ryou whispered as Yugi settled in his bed. Yugi nodded and immediately fell into a deep sleep just as Ryou settled in his own bed and rolled over.

Yugi didn't exactly have pleasant dreams throughout the night. He tried his best to dream of peaceful things, but a nightmare took control. What he saw was his other self. Yugi didn't talk to him; his other self was just standing there. Not long after, though, a room appeared around them both, and Yugi's other self came to life. It was strange though, the room they were in, looked like one of the rooms from the palace. Yugi's other self started talking then, but at nothing. Unless talking to the wall counted.

"I need power to survive," his other self said, and then he swiveled around. "No, power is important, but I need _energy_ to survive… _your_ energy." He said, venom in his words.

_Who's energy?_ Yugi thought; then, a bolt of fear shot through him. This was his look alike. This other self was created by _him_. So, it would only be natural to get energy from the linking source…

As Yugi was thinking this, Yugi's look-alike spun slowly around again, and looked directly at him. When Yugi noticed this, his thoughts halted right there; he couldn't move and he could no longer think. He could only stare into those cold, violet-purple eyes. It was like he could _see _him, even though he knew he was invisible; he couldn't even see his own hands.

"Yugi, only one of us can exist in this world and harness the power you hold; and I shall be that one to survive."

Yugi felt such a rush of panic that he could feel his legs shaking, but it was like his feet were rooted to that spot.

When his evil side turned away, the nightmare seemed to fade away, but Yugi couldn't stop shaking. He couldn't get that hungry look of power held in those eyes. Yugi thought he was still shaking due to the fright he had received, but the tug on his heart was warning him of something. He pushed it to the side though. He felt… drained; and when he woke up shivering, he still couldn't shake the other's face from his thoughts.

"Are you alright?" Ryou asked, leaning over Yugi's bed.

Yugi's thought came to a halt, and he looked over at Ryou. He felt bone-tired, and he just wanted to sleep. He could already feel his eyelids drooping, and Yugi didn't even have the strength to roll over.

His exhaustion must have shown on his face, because Ryou seemed to react badly to it. From what Yugi could see, but mostly hear, Ryou was running around, shouting. Ryou didn't wander too far from him though.

"Marik! Bakura! Mariku! Ishizu!" Ryou had shouted, "Please! We need to get Yugi some help!"

There were several fast paced stomps of feet-almost like people were running. Surely he wasn't in _that_ bad of shape, was he?

"What's wrong!?" Ishizu's worried voice came. Yugi had wanted to sigh, but he didn't have the strength. He let his eyes slip closed, and he willed himself to get some sleep. There were shuffling of feet, and he was being poked and prodded, but Yugi didn't care. He wanted to sleep.

"He definitely doesn't look too good…" Mariku commented.

"I agree… I wonder if we should keep him here." Marik answered.

As much as Yugi tried, he couldn't fall into unconsciousness. Even his exhaustion wasn't enough. Maybe it was just because everyone was standing over him.

"Maybe we should-" Bakura's sarcastic remark was cut off by a sudden series of tremors that raced through his body. His eyes flew open, and Yugi saw worried faces; however that didn't last long before his eyes began to roll into the back of his head.

"Call for help!" Ishizu yelled, bumping Bakura. Bakura only nodded and ran out of the room.

Yugi felt all the tremors speed through his body with tremens force; he could literally feel his body shaking on his bed.

Then, it dawned on him as to what was happening. He was in serious trouble… having a seizure wasn't a good sign. How he was feeling so calm and not panicked, he wasn't sure.

Mariku and Ryou grabbed his legs and held him down while Ishizu did her best to hold his head still.

"Kaiba! Odion!" she eventually called, "Grab his arms!"

Two more feel shuffled on either side of him, and grabbed hold of his arms. Everything was happening so fast and he couldn't even think straight. His mind had only just barely registered that Bakura had already returned with a bunch of equipment, nurses, and a doctor.

What fully registered in his mind though, even with the shaking of his body, was the fact that he was being picked up and set on a portable bed- a stretcher.  
Yugi didn't know what would happen after that though.

"Stabilize him!" shouted one doctor, but to Yugi, his words echoed in his ears; and a strange buzzing noise began. To be honest with himself, his thoughts grew wild.

_This is it,_ he thought, _I'm going to die right here, right now._

His eyes slid shut, and he began to have flashes of times not long ago. Tea, Tristan, Joey, what would they do? And Yami… poor Yami. Yami needed him to help find out who he really was three thousand years ago. What would Yami do? Think, even?

And Seto Kaiba, he may not see his brother again if he never gets out of this future era. Miki and Shiro too, their sister Kali was dead thanks to Sora and Mira. What would happen if _he_ died? Would they still meet up with Yami like he had said?

There was also Ryou, Bakura, Mariku, and the Ishtar family. All of them would be trapped. He only wished he could have helped somehow before he died.

He felt another sharp pain race through his body, but this time, it was mostly centered around his heart area. Was he dying? Was this what it felt like to die? Was this how _Yami _felt when he died so long ago? Especially one that hurt so much…

Yet another pain squeezed his heart, and he couldn't help but wince internally. It seemed that he was truly a gonner… until he realized one possibility. The reason he was this way.

_My other self!_ He thought, _why didn't I realize this sooner? What did he say? That only one of us would survive? Didn't he also say that he needed _my_ life energy? _If that was true, then Yugi needed some way to fight back. If it was true that his other self could drain him of his energy, was it also true that _he_ could do the same thing to _him_? If this was true, then how could he use that to his advantage? How could he come back? If he died, and then came back to life, he sure would get a lot of questions, especially from the doctors, and he didn't have time to dawdle. He needed to spring into action as soon as possible.

Maybe if he concentrated on his dark side, maybe, just _maybe_, if he thought about energy racing through his body, and feeling renewed, he could take back all of his life force energy as well as _his_ energy. If he succeeded in taking his other self's energy, then that would solve _that_ problem. He would no longer have to worry about problems like that. But, he had to wonder, if his dark side had free reign in the first place, what would he even do? Where would he go? There had to be _something_ that his dark half wanted to achieve.

His thoughts were cut off when yet another agonizing jolt raced past his chest; he waited for it to pass before he could concentrate again. It came again though, and again… and again… and again. _Wait!_ Yugi thought, _Maybe this pulse of energy can help me pull my energy back! This could be the chance I've been waiting for! Concentrate!_

**Ryou's POV**

"Get him on the stretcher!" the doctor yelled to his nurses. The doctor was an older looking man with grey hair, and he looked to be about sixty-five. All doctors had a name on a badge they had pinned on to their white coats. This doctor's name just so happened to be Vix, Ryou's favorite doctor whom had been gentle with him when he had gotten sick the second day he had arrived in this future era.

When the nurses complied, the Vix ordered them to hold Yugi's arms and legs down. His eyes were still open, but only the whites of his eyes were showing- his eyes had already rolled into the back of his head only moments before the doctors had arrived.

"Stabilize him!" Vix then ordered. One of the nurses looked up in panic, "Vix, we can't stabilize him here! We need to get him to the Emergency Ward."

Vix nodded, "Go, then!"

The nurses nodded, and Vix ran alongside them. Ryou and the others raced after them; Ryou was glad that Vix did well under pressure. To Ryou, Vix was the nicest person he had ever met that wasn't associated with any magic. In fact, If this had been the present time, he'd stick around this hospital all the time. Ryou bet that Vix could have even raised him when he was littler while balancing his job, though he wouldn't wish that kind of stress upon him. Still, he liked the idea of Vix as a father. It suited him well.

As Ryou exited the room, he found himself running alongside Bakura and Mariku. The others were running behind him. Ryou still couldn't figure out why Bakura and Mariku were being so helpful lately; for criminals who wanted to murder or get revenge on the Pharaoh, they sure seemed compliant when saving Yami's host from death.

Ryou pressed on down a long, narrow hallway; Vix and the others seemed to speed faster down the hallway. What made it so complicated to catch up was the fact that there were many twists and turns in order to get to the Emergency Ward. Bakura sure didn't go to the Emergency Ward to get Vix though; Ryou knew there was more than one hospital place, but Bakura must have gone straight to Vix's office. Well, it was the smartest thing to do though, because Vix's office was closer to the Wayther's room than anywhere else. The nurses though… they must have been in his office with him too, working on stuff, because there was no way they could have made it to the Wayther's room in the time that they did.

Ryou was suddenly snapped from his thoughts when he heard a yell from behind. Ryou turned to see what it was whilst he was running. He looked past Ishizu's shoulder to see a figure running towards them. Ryou was shoved away momentarily, and he turned again to see that Bakura had steered him around a turn, which he was grateful for.

"Oni*! My little Oni, what happened!?" the shout came again, only this time it was closer than it was before. Ryou chanced a glance back again, and a shiver ran through his body. He made his legs move faster; Bakura seemed to notice this action as well, and kept his pace with him.

The person that was behind them was wearing a dark blue, silk dress that flowed down her figure, and trailed out behind her a little; this contrasted with her hair. Her shiny, light blue hair, that fell around her shoulders. Her shoes were white heels that made a clicking sound on the granite flooring in the hallway. She was also wearing earrings; she was undoubtedly beautiful… and older looking. The figure was gaining on them, with a worried expression on her face.

"Bakura…" Ryou whispered while he ran around a corner, "Sora…" He bumped Bakura, and Bakura looked behind him. When his gaze turned back to Ryou, it was a calm collected expression, just like he had expected. "Don't worry about it, Ryou. Just run,"

With a nod from Ryou, they both sped on after the doctors. Ryou couldn't help thinking though, about what Sora had called out. Oni… Was it a nickname? If the spirit of Sora's body was looking for anyone, it would probably be Yugi's evil side… So he has a name then. Oni. He'd have to tell the others when everything was over. For now, he had to concentrate on keeping up with the doctors however; it wasn't long before they arrived at the Emergency Ward.

Everyone, including Vix and the nurses, burst through the main entrance, and ran over to yet another door, but this one was made of metal. Two of the nurses ran ahead; one opened the heavy metal door, and the other brushed the curtains aside. Vix and the nurses raced through, but Vix had said a quick thank you to the nurse holding the door. Once Vix was through, the nurses waited for the rest of the group to go through before they quickly followed behind them.

"Oni!" Sora screamed again; it was so loud that even Ryou's near deaf ears could hear her voice from behind the metal door.

Ryou didn't want to know how close Sora was already; she already seemed deadly close when they were running to the main entrance to the Emergency Ward. Ryou shook his head, and ignored the tiny burn in his lungs from running, and pushed onward, following Vix as he reached one of the beds and gently placed Yugi's still shaking form on the bed.

When Ryou and Bakura reached the bed, Ryou immediately noticed that Yugi's violent shakes looked weaker-like one of a person struggling to stay alive after being poisoned. One of the nurses lightly pushed Ryou and Bakura to the foot of the bed, where they could watch, but still be out of the way. Mariku, Kaiba, Odion, and the others were pushed away from the bed completely. This was probably due to the lack of space with so many people crowding around the small area around the bed.

"Hook him up to the machines, Hizanna," Vix said urgently.

"Yeah, Vix. I gotcha."

Then, just as the nurse named 'Hizanna' finished putting in an IV for Yugi, light foot falls appeared from behind where the metal door was. He turned around only to see Sora. And boy, was she furious. "Dammit! The wrong one!" She shouted; but unbeknownst to Sora, as well as Ryou, Bakura had snuck up behind Sora, and gave her a shove, causing her to fall forwards, towards Yugi.

The rage in her eyes melted away into a sorrowful and relieved expression. She stood up again, and turned around, facing Bakura. She gave an appreciative nod in his direction. He didn't acknowledge her gesture though, he merely walked back to where he was standing before, at the foot of Yugi's bed, standing right next to Ryou. It was only thanks to Yugi's presence, and Bakura's shove, that Sora was harmless at the moment.

"Yugi…" Sora said softly, as she saw Vix and the nurses placing an oxygen mask on his face. In turn, however, Vix and everyone else turned in shock at the sound of Sora's voice. Apparently they had been so engrossed with Yugi's condition to notice what had transpired moments ago. Ryou's friends were the only ones who took offensive stances-even Mariku and Bakura, surprisingly. With a pang, Ryou then realized why Bakura and Mariku were being so supportive and helpful. He'd been trying to figure out why earlier, and now that he knew, it seemed painfully obvious. They just wanted to get back to the present, to Domino City, with all the Millennium Items intact.

Ryou then noticed the sudden stillness on the bed. Yugi had stopped moving completely.

"Quick! The Defibrillator!" Vix shouted at the nurses.

Ryou could see Sora's hand shoot to her mouth, and a gasp escaped her.

At the doctors shout, a crowd seemed to slowly gather around, boxing Ryou, Sora, Vix, the nurses, and everyone else in; everyone who had gathered seemed to want to take a peek at what was happening.

"Clear!" Vix shouted.

A thump sounded. A few milliseconds passed before the nurse said, "No BP, no pulse,"

"Again," Vix said; the nurses moved away for a second and Vix shouted "Clear!" then Yugi's chest jerked upwards, and the nurses moved over to him again.

Same result, "No BP, no pulse,"

Ryou started to get teary; he'd never witnessed any deaths, well, not in person. In a hospital. Watching them die.

It was too much; out of habit he couldn't help but cling to Bakura's front, sobs building up. Usually, in his body, Bakura didn't want anything to happen to his host's body, so, as to prevent Ryou from doing something stupid, he comforted the boy.

Bakura patted Ryou's back awkwardly- he'd never had any physical contact with the boy whilst comforting him before. Ryou could tell, but he didn't care. He just needed comfort, and Bakura was the closest, and the most likely to do so.

"No!" Sora had screamed.

Ryou's head whipped around to look at her; he saw her drop to her knees and hug herself as Vix and the nurses continued their ministrations. Sora was crying, just like Ryou was, but not as full blown out and end-of-the-worldish.

Vix paid her no attention, still demanding shocks to Yugi's non-beating heart.

Sora got on her hands and knees and crawled over to Yugi's bedside; Vix and the nurses moved around for her. It seemed she was a special case, as they let her continue to kneel there.

She sat up on her knees again, and reached up to grip one of Yugi's motionless hands.

"Please," she whispered, "Don't die. I need you… And besides, I couldn't live with myself if you were to die. You are the only friend I ever had, and you mean so much to me…"

One more thump sounded as Sora's head hit the side of Yugi's bed, and she rubbed her forehead against the sheets whilst she cried.

Then the nurse shouted something she least expected, "Pulse! I have a pulse!"

Immediately Ryou and Sora stopped crying

"Alright!" Vix shouted; it seemed the old man wasn't as old as he looked, because he gave a little bounce of joy before walking over. The crowd melted away, and Vix, with the help of the nurses, finished up their work on making Yugi as comfortable as can be in order to make it the rest of the day and night.

Sora wiped at her tear-stained face with one hand, while the other hand still gripped Yugi's hand. She stood up then, not letting go.

"I'm so glad you're ok," She whispered to him. "Please stay that way." The ten-year-old then leaned in and placed a quick kiss on Yugi's cheek.

Ryou smiled, it seemed that Sora had a pretty big bond with Yugi already; while he thought about this though, he realized there was still something that he hadn't done that he had the chance to do. He had to talk to the others about what had happened earlier, right when Sora had appeared. The bit of information that only _he_ had noticed when Sora was in hearing range.

Making sure that Sora was efficiently distracted, he pulled Bakura away from the foot of Yugi's bed, and over to the others. Mariku, the Ishtar family, and Kaiba were by three empty beds. They were talking about Yugi, and his near death experience. The topic then reached a 'what would happen if he actually did die' stage when Bakura was lead over.

He was surprised at the easiness of pulling Bakura; he didn't give much resistance at all. When Ryou tapped on Ishizu, the main source of the talking, he stopped her mid sentence, and everyone fell quiet.

"Guys," Ryou began; when he was sure everyone wasn't joking around, like Mariku was, he continued. "I think Yugi's other self has a name."

Ishizu and Marik exchanged glances, but Bakura and Mariku just laughed really hard.

"Everyone has a name, Ryou!" Mariku said between laughing fits.

Ryou frowned, "Well… I just feel uneasy about _this _one…"

Mariku and Bakura stopped laughing then, and leaned in, interested.

"Well? What was the name, Ryou?" Mariku urged. By now, Ishizu, Odion, Marik and Kaiba had leaned in too.

"Well," Ryou began, "Sora called for him while we were out in the hallway, before this all happened. I don't think you were paying attention to what she was saying when she was chasing us down the hall…" he trailed off then, wondering how to put into words what he was thinking.

"Get on with it!" Kaiba snapped; Ryou jumped, but complied. "She called him Oni…"

There was a sudden silence among the group. Then, a sudden, and uncharacteristic, intake of breath had been heard from Mariku. Everyone had swiveled their heads in surprise. Mariku didn't normally act surprised about anything, he usually didn't give a damn about anything. Not unless it was important to him, anyway.

"What is it, Mariku?" Bakura asked warily. Apparently Bakura hadn't seen Mariku act like this either, so he was interested in what Mariku was going to say. There was a silence that followed Bakura's words, and the more the silence drew on, the more Mariku's face became horrified. Then, when Ryou was about to speak up again, Mariku said something that Ryou, nor anyone in the group would have ever thought he'd say.

"Oni…" He began, "I know him. He's from my past, and the reason I'm here today."

**:O Mariku's past?! No freaking way! I thought you might like that little twist at the end there. I noticed that both the abridged AND original series of Yu-Gi-Oh! Didn't really explain about Mariku, or how he really fit into the picture. Only that he was just a spirit inhabiting Marik's body.  
Oh, did you like Sora's meltdown? LOL.**

******Oni means Demon in Japanese ^^*****

**Anyway, hoped this cleared up a lot of confusion you may have had. I think Ishizu explains a lot of it; please tell me if this chapter was helpful and good! Also, don't forget about my Poll on my profile! I need some answers :3  
Please, don't forget to PM me any ideas you might have, they are always greatly appreciated, and I'll make sure to give you credit for the idea. They help me a lot when I'm writing each chapter.**

**Questions to think about:  
-What are Mira and Sora's spirits up to? Who are they?  
-What will become of Oni after the events that transpired?  
-What will Yami's next actions be?**


	20. Chapter 19

**YOLO. I promised that I would get it up sooner. I did :D sorry about the mini wait though, it DOES take a little while to write, edit, and type :3  
Anyway, here's the new chappie! OH. WE HAVE INDEED HIT THE CLIMAX :3 took forever, I know XD sorry. Here you go! :D**

* * *

**Atem's POV**

He was literally racing down the hallway now. He left a yelling Miki and Shiro behind him. Once he had heard the two Waythers talking, he had sped away towards the direction he had been previously. At this point, Yami was so confused that he didn't know what to do anymore. He had seen Yugi just before entering the Infirmary, and he was perfectly fine. Now, though, he had heard that Yugi was near death since the beginning. But, how was this possible? Yami knew there weren't two Yugi's. There couldn't be. That just wasn't possible. There was only one person he had been with all these years, so how could there be two?

_Wait,_ he thought, _This is the future; could it be possible that there is another, older Yugi running around? _Yami shook his head, no. He didn't even know what year it was, or how far ahead in time they were. He would have to find out, but now was not the time. He had to get to Yugi

He was nearly out of breath now; he didn't think he'd be running this fast. Yami sucked in another breath and rounded a corner. When he did, he ran into someone.

There was a gasp of surprise and horror. It came from the person he had ran in to. He didn't recognize who it was, but it was a girl. She looked to be about four or five years old. She had the prettiest ocean-blue eyes. She also had a faded orange color of hair, and a set of freckles.

Yami was about to get up, help her to her feet and ask her if she was alright, but she scooted away in panic, and stumbled to her feet. She ran in the direction Yami was headed, her tattered, grey dress and her bare feet fading in the distance. Yami sighed at this. He didn't think he was too scary, and he didn't think he could look scary even if he tried.

Yami shrugged it off and continued on towards the Infirmary. If he saw the girl again, he'd make sure to apologize for bumping in to her and possibly hurting her. He didn't get very far after that thought when he saw the girl reappear, running in his direction. He slowed down this time, ready to stop her.

What surprised him even more, was the group of people running behind the girl.

He gasped in surprise.

"See!" The little girl shouted with a high, squeaky voice, "I told you I saw him! That was the guy you described, ain't it?"

Yami blinked, he only just realized he had come to a full stop.

The people running at him finally reached him and surrounded him in a circle. The girl didn't take part in the circle, though. She only seemed to be watching.

The only thing that stopped him from speaking was shock. These people, all people he recognized, were the ones he had tried to find, or, was _trying _to find. It looked like he didn't have to _now_.

Marik, Ishizu, Odion, Seto Kaiba, Mariku, Bakura and Ryou all had him surrounded, and no way to escape.

"You can't escape, Oni. This is all your fault, and you know it," Marik said, eyes full of hate.

"Wait, what?" Yami said, confused. _Oni? Who the hell is Oni? _ He thought.

"Oh don't bullshit us, you can't get out of this one," Mariku said, baring his teeth.

"What the hell!?" Yami shouted in confusion. "I have no clue what you're all talking about! I'm trying to find Yugi, I don't know who the hell this Oni guy is, or why you even think I'm him, and I'm so fucking confused!" Yami couldn't help but tremble in frustration and confusion. The very people he knew, were threatening him because they thought he was someone else. Why couldn't they see that it was _him?_

Ishizu narrowed her eyes at him. Yami had never seen Ishizu act like that before, nor did he want to see it again.

"If you're telling the truth, prove it."

Yami blinked, surprised. _Prove it? How the hell do I do _that_? _Yami crossed his arms, "What do you want me to do?"

Ishizu and the others looked at each other briefly; "If you aren't Oni, who are you?"

Yami blinked again, couldn't they tell? Who else would he be?

"Yami…"

Bakura stepped even closer then, "Tell us something that only the Pharaoh would know,"

"And," Marik added, "It has to be something we know that Yugi doesn't know."

Yami's eyes widened, how was he supposed to do _that_? Yugi knew almost everything he knew, besides the facts about his life that still remained a mystery even to him.

Yami's eyes shut in frustration. "I don't think that's possible. He knows just about everything I know… The only thing he doesn't know is probably the things that even I don't know."

Marik face palmed. "There has to be something,"

Yami gave an exasperated sigh, "Hang on, let me think."

_Was there ever a time where Yugi was separated from me? There has to be at least one experience that I know, they know, but not Yugi. I know that I've been away from Yugi recently… but I've also been away from everyone else too, so that wouldn't do much good._

"Listen," Yami said, sighing, "To be honest, there's nothing really that Yugi doesn't know that you guys know. He's always the first person to know about anything that pops up…" Yami said, scratching the back of his head.

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner!" Ryou said happily.

Yami raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"Well," Ishizu began, looking a lot more relaxed than she was. "We all know that Yugi's the first person to know about anything that's happened; you've told us this. Yugi doesn't know about that, or at least, doesn't realize this." She said, smiling.

_Huh… I wouldn't have even realized that was the answer… _Yami thought.

"Come on, you said you wanted to see Yugi, right?" Mariku asked, motioning down the hallway. Yami nodded, and began to follow when the group started moving.

He stopped then, remembering something that he had forgotten to do.

The girl was still standing behind Marik; he carefully made his way over to her, and bent down. Marik had moved aside for Yami, to which he murmured a brief thanks. He bent down before her.

"What's your name?" Yami asked her softly.

She looked at the ground, and played with the bottom of her torn, grey dress.

"Mia," she murmured.

Yami smiled, "Mia, then," he addressed; he placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up, her ocean-blue eyes full of wonder.

"I'm sorry for scaring you like I did, I'm sorry if I hurt you any as well…"

Mia smiled, "Thank you; it's alright. I didn't get hurt none."

Yami smiled back at her, "That's good. I'm just glad you weren't hurt."

"Yami," Bakura interrupted; Yami got up from his kneeling position, and turned to him. "Of course,"

The group began to move then, down the hallway. Yami was trailing behind a little, still exhausted from his previous rush to reach Yugi.

"Um… Mister…?"

Yami looked down, and found that Mia had trailed behind with him.

"You can call me Yami," he replied with a small smile.

Mia nodded, "Yami, I heard you and Yugi shared a body once…" she began.

"Share," He corrected her.

"Right," she said, "But… the others didn't tell me whose body it was to begin with, or anything about you really."

"Oh," was Yami's reply, "Well, for starters, it was Yugi's body. When he solved the Millennium Puzzle, my spirit came out and our minds connected."

Mia looked up, amazed. "I never thought of that," she said, then added, "Can I tell you something?"

Yami blinked, "Sure,"

Mia took a deep breath as they continued walking.

"Did you know they take people away from random places in the other time to become slaves? That, there's only two times they go between? They basically kidnap people from other countries and turn them into Waythers?"

Yami's mouth nearly fell open, "So, wait, there's only this time, and our time?"

Mia nodded, "Once they found what time the Millennium Items came back into the world, they had to set up a stable transport connection so that they can take or lure certain people into their time."

"How'd _you_ get here then, Mia?"

Mia stopped walking, and Yami stopped as well.

"I was taken… They said that I was some kind of special connection between time, places, and people. That I was the only one who can connect all three together."

Yami was silent for a moment, and she let out a tiny sigh, "I don't know… I certainly don't feel too special."

Yami smiled then, "There's a lot of things special about you that I can tell already," he said. When she gave him a quizzical look, he continued. "Well," he began, "when I first saw you, I felt like there was something special about you. That part I don't know how to explain, but I feel I can trust you… Way more than I should, actually."

Mia's blue eyes sparkled with joy, "Really?" she asked. Yami nodded.

Mia reached out her hand towards him, "May I?" she asked politely; when he nodded, she grasped his hand.

"Then," she started; Yami could feel her uneasiness. "When the time comes, can you help me get home?"

"Yes, of course; your mother and father must be worried," He said. He felt terrible for her, she hadn't seen her parents, and Yami could only assume that her parents were going crazy looking for her.

"I don't have a mommy or daddy…" she said, sadness tingeing her words.

Yami tried not to act too shaken by this. Why would something so bad happen to a innocent little girl like this?

Yami squeezed her tiny hand reassuringly, "Don't you have an aunt or uncle you live with? Or a cousin?"

She shook her head, "Nobody."

Yami felt a sharp pang of sorrow for the girl, "We'll figure something out then," he said softly.

She smiled up at him, "Ok,"

"I do wonder though," he added, "Where do you live then?"

She paused for a minute. "I… find my way around…"

Now _this _concerned Yami. "And how old are you?"

"five, almost six…"

"How am I supposed to take you home if you don't have one to go to?" he asked then.

"I…" she trailed off, "I just figured you could drop me off somewhere… and that I could get home from there."

"No," Yami immediately said, "I won't do that to you. You're pretty young as it is, and no one deserves to run around like that. Especially someone who's only five."

"YAMI. MIA." Mariku said angrily. "Get your asses over here, now!"

Yami jumped at his voice, as did Mia.

"S-sorry!" Yami yelled back, "Come on," he added, glancing briefly back at Mia.

* * *

"This way," Ishizu whispered as she opened the heavy metal door. When Yami entered, it was exactly the same as it had been when he was here the first time not long ago. The only difference was that there were less people, and a faded green curtain hung around certain beds. Only one bed had the curtains closed though, all the others were drawn.

"Is it that one that Yugi's in?" Yami asked tentatively. He pointed at the green curtains that were closed around the bed.

"Quiet," Bakura hissed, then answered with a 'yes'.

Yami quickly untangled his hand from Mia's and ran on ahead of the group. He could hear their footsteps quicken behind him in order to catch up, but he didn't think much of it.

"Wait! Don't go in there yet!" Ryou yelled behind him.

Yami ignored him, he just wanted to see Yugi after all, and he brushed the curtains aside.

He shook in both shock and fear when he saw none other than Sora folded over Yugi.

It seemed she was sleeping on top of him, listening to the steady beeping of Yugi's heart monitor.

So he _was_ alive; he couldn't help but let out a shaky breath of relief. He was careful not to let it out too loud though, in case he woke the sleeping, blue haired girl.

He was suddenly yanked away, and the green curtain swished shut before him.

"What the hell!" Yami hissed, he was now royally pissed, to say the least. First, Sora-an evil villain- was laying with Yugi, and now his arm was being yanked out of its socket.

"Sorry," Mariku apologized, and he automatically let go.

"Why," Yami began, "Is _she_ here?" he said, surprised to find venom embedding his words.

"It's hard to explain," Ryou began. "Yeah, I bet it is," Yami said.

He was beginning to get sick and tired of all this shit. This would be the first time he would physically see Yugi, as well as spiritually. He hadn't seen Yugi since he was kidnapped, and now that both of them had physical bodies, things would be different. He'd be able to _touch_.

But still, there was still so much that he had to look out for. There was still so much that he had to _find out_. It was all balled up in one place, and if he didn't have any questions answered soon, his head would literally explode.

He actually began to notice that he seemed a lot edgier than usual. Suddenly, a small delicate hand entwined with his.

"Yami, it's ok," Mia spoke softly. Mia, she was trying to calm him down. He didn't think it would work, he felt such… rage building up. Rage that was born from his frustration and confusion.

"No, really, it's alright. You have nothing to worry about. Focus on the now… focus on _me._"

Yami blinked, what he was now seeing wasn't possible. He saw something that he knew only made _him_ calm. The stars, at night. He was laying down on a blanket outside under the stars. There was a chill in the air, but there was another blanket laying next to him; he pulled it close and wrapped it around himself.

Mia was also there, squeezing his hand reassuringly, just as he had towards her. She got on her hands and knees and looked at him whilst he looked at the stars.

Waves upon waves of calm washed over him. "Where are we, Mia?" he asked.

"Liberia," She responded, "This was the place I was born… from what one of my friends had said, I grew up here for a while, then I was taken to Japan… then shortly after I was taken to Mira and Sora's time. I actually spent the last few years there…" she said sadly.

"I'm sorry…"

Mia smiled at him, "Don't worry about it," She then lay down next to him, gazing up at the stars. He couldn't help but smile softly as he remembered doing this same thing with Yugi not too long ago. It seemed like such a long time ago, but really, it wasn't. It had only been about a week or so ago, before he was taken, before Yami knew that something bad was going to happen.

He sighed, tracing patterns in the stars with his eyes. He did feel more relaxed than he'd been lately. Everything just seemed so hectic; it was hard to catch up.

"Alright, you ready to go back?" Mia asked in a whisper. When Yami nodded, she then took away her hand, and covered his eyes.

A second later he was stumbling, trying to find his footing.

"Welcome back," She said proudly.

When he found his footing, he felt he was being watched. When he looked up, he found he was, in fact, being watched.

Seto Kaiba, Ishizu, Odion, Ryou, Bakura, Marik and even Mariku, were looking at the both of them in astonishment.

"Wh-how…?" Marik began first.

"It's complicated," Mia said, all smiles.

"Y-yeah…" Yami said, trailing off.

"Where'd you go?" Bakura asked, looking immensely intrigued.

"Uh… also hard to explain…" Yami said, scratching the back of his head.

Mia skipped to his side and held onto his hand again. It seemed, by the look on her face, that she felt more at ease, so he let her hold his hand. "We went stargazing in Liberia," She said.

"Oh," Mariku commented; Bakura still looked intrigued, he was about to say something, but Mariku cut him off. Bakura glared at him as Mariku spoke. "Well then, back to the current matter at hand…"

Yami felt himself tense up a little again, but he felt those waves of calm engulf him once more when Mia gently squeezed his hand again.

"Thank you," he whispered to her. He then proceeded to think of the current problem at hand.

"Ok, so, can you explain to me what's going on? But… in simpler words?" Yami asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Ryou stepped in, "Well, Mira and Sora aren't actually evil, they just have evil spirits in them."

"Oh… Kay… that makes a _little_ sense…" Yami said.

Marik then shouldered past Ryou, "And what happened when we first ran in to you, well, there's another Yugi…"

"Correction," Mariku growled, "Oni, the only person who can live inside another being unconsciously, and take the same form as his host, is Yugi's look-alike."

"Woah, what?" Yami said, "Explain that part."

"Oni is a spirit from Mariku's past," Seto Kaiba joined in.

Yami furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "From my understanding, wasn't Mariku just made up from Marik's head?"

"No, actually…" Marik began, "While it's true I made up a type of 'friend' to help keep my from being lonely, Mariku actually came with your secret that was carved into my back… he just took my 'friends' form. When you preserve something… it always comes with a price…"

"I'm sorry, Marik…"

"Gah," Mariku sighed, He patted Marik on the back, "As long as we both have separate bodies, we'll be semi-ok."

Yami could see Marik gulp, "Semi…?"

Mariku patted his back again, "We'll talk about this later,"

"Mmmm…" came a sleepy voice. Sora. Sora was awake.

Yami whipped around, fear shooting through him instantly. Mia squeezed his hand again, "Sora's around Yugi, and Yugi's the only one who can subdue Sora and Mira's spirits… He's also the only one who can destroy their spirits…"

"But, he's safe though?" Yami asked, worriedly.

She nodded, "Sora-the real Sora-actually likes Yugi, and wants to be around him. In doing so, her spirit won't overtake her."

Yami blinked, "Does she know this?"

"When she ran in here looking for Oni, she realized that Yugi was the link,"

"Uh…" Yami started, a little lost.

"So," Ishizu interrupted, "The real Sora realized that Oni boosts her spirit's power, while Yugi suppresses it."

"Oh…weird…"

"Hence why Sora won't leave," Bakura said, rather annoyed.

"I'd keep her there," Odion said, for what seemed like the first time, "Her spirit has free reign when she isn't around Yugi, and her spirit is rather… ugly, and I'd rather her harmless side…"

"I agree," Ishizu nodded.

"H-hello?" Sora asked through the curtain.

"It's just us, Sora," Mia said in her sweet little voice.

"Oh," her voice came again, sounding tired, unlike it was before. Sora brushed the curtain aside; she would have screamed if Bakura hadn't slapped his hand across her mouth.

"Relax," Marik snapped, "It's just Yami. We wouldn't be civilly talking to him if he wasn't."

"…Yami?"

"In other words, Sora, the Pharaoh," Bakura relayed.

Sora's eyes suddenly looked hesitant. "Mia…" She whispered.

Mia detangled her hand from Yami's grasp, and rushed over to Sora. Yami couldn't help thinking that, for a five-year-old, Mia sure was smart.

Sora leaned down a little, and Mia reached up, and rested her hand on Sora's forehead, and closed her eyes. Sora's eyes fluttered closed as well.

"What…?" Yami began.

"Sometimes Sora doesn't know how to word things when there's too much going on in her mind; when Mia's around, she relies on her to translate for her."

"Huh…"

"Alright," Mia suddenly said. When Yami looked back at them, they were both facing everyone. "What Sora wanted to say was that, you're the one that the spirits are trying to reach, because you can control the Millennium Items' power. She wants you to stick with her, but not at the same time."

"Why not?" Yami asked.

"Well, I guess she's just afraid of her spirit coming out and taking advantage of the trust."

Yami thought a moment. "So… why don't we just stick around Yugi then?" he asked.

"That _could_ work, but…" Mia paused, "But, what about your friends?"

Yami's eyes flickered with interest, "How'd you know…?"

"Well, I was here the whole time. I'm just so small that no one really sees me…"

"So, you saw me come in with them, and leave with them?" He asked. When she nodded, he sighed.

"I didn't stop you," She continued, "Because I thought…"

"Because you thought I was Oni." Yami guessed. She nodded.

"Who's your friends?" Sora asked.

"Miki, Shiro…and Kali…"

Sora seemed startled, "But… She… how's that possible?"

Yami blinked, "What?"

Her eyes darkened with sadness… "Well, first off… Miki, Shiro and Kali are my cousins… well, they're also Mira's cousins too… but… Kali. I was so sure… that my spirit murdered her…"

If Yami's eyes could get wider, they did. It seemed that only _he_ was surprised by this though.

"_You?_"

"No, my spirit. My spirit tried to murder her, but… Mira…"

"…must have saved her…" Yami realized, also finishing Sora's thought.

"How though, is what I want to know." Marik said, stepping in.

"Because…" Sora began, eyes squinting as if she was seeing into the past. Her eyes then grew round. "Because Yugi was there!"

"Yugi!?" Yami exclaimed, "When was this?!"

Sora paused for a moment, "When we first met. That day… when he came to that Barn house that we used for a portal… and home base…"

"He's never gone there, though. I'd have known…"

Mia shook her head, "Not if the Millennium Puzzle wasn't on him."

Yami opened his mouth to object, but couldn't. It was completely true, and totally possible. "I remember… he was passed out," Sora continued, eyes still seeming far away.

"I was carrying him… but, I wasn't able to control my movements…"

"Because he was passed out," Mia said.

"But," Yami began, "What about now?"

Sora blinked, eyes returning to normal. "Now?" she turned around to look at Yugi's sleeping form. She smiled. "Back then, he was unconscious, knocked out… now? Now he's sleeping."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"Not entirely," Sora answered, "He can wake up when he wants to when he's sleeping. When you're unconscious or knocked out, you're aware of it the whole time, except that you can't wake up even if you tried. Your brain needs to shut down and recover from the blow before you can become mobile and fully functioning."

Yami couldn't help but glance at Yugi. He had only glimpsed him briefly, but now…

"Excuse me," Yami whispered, hoping that Sora and the others didn't find it too rude that he stopped the conversation.

He made his way carefully over to Yugi's bed. He moved the old, green curtains aside a little, and he kneeled down beside him. He reached out with a trembling hand, and scooped up Yugi's hand. He smiled a little at the feeling of touching his young friend for the first time. In his spirit form, he couldn't have even given him a hug or high-five… but now… now he could do those things. With a wider smile, he gently rested his head on Yugi's chest.

"Yugi…" He whispered.

Despite all that was going on, he felt his mind relax. It didn't feel the same way when Mia made him relax, this time, it was genuine. Yugi's presence always seemed to help Yami relax. These were just some things Yami could only guess at.

Maybe he was relaxed because he knew Yugi was safe? Maybe because he was kind to Yami and everyone else? Or… maybe it was because they were connected. This time, it wasn't spiritually, but they were connected by touch. Yami could only guess that, since he was used to it, a connection between Yugi and himself was all it took.

Behind him, he heard the curtains swish closed, and he could only assume that everyone was giving him privacy, to which he was grateful.

"Yugi, can you wake up?" he asked. There was silence, and Yami looked around for a chair. On the other side of the bed, was the chair that Sora had been using minutes before.

He let go of Yugi's hand and went around to get it. Since he preferred the left side of the bed, he dragged the chair to where he'd been kneeling before.

When he sat down, he noticed that Yugi's hand was moving. It seemed to be searching for him. Yami smiled softly again, and grasped his hand once more.

"Yugi…?" Yami asked again.

This time, Yugi's eyes fluttered open. Yami immediately stood, chair pushed back.

"Yugi, it's me… Yami."He said, hope sounding in his words.

"Y-Yami?" Yugi managed to croak. "Yes," he replied, trying hard to hide his happiness and excitement.

Yugi smiled weakly, "It's good to see you…" and with a tiny laugh he added, "And not in spirit."

Yami laughed a little, "It's good to see you too; I was worried about you. Tea, Tristan, Joey and everyone else, too."

Yugi's smile fell, "I'm sorry…"

Yami's expression turned from happiness to concern, "Don't be sorry…"

"I am, though,"

"Don't be. All that matters is that you're alive."

"Uh… I was dying out here, too?" Yugi asked, confused.

Yami raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Out here too? What do you mean?"

Yugi frowned, "Well… I thought it was just a spiritual battle-"

"Woah there, back up. What?" Yami interrupted, "Explain yourself, Yugi."

Yugi sighed, "It was a little like a dream at first," He began, "I was in the Wayther's room with Ryou and the others. The dream… my other self needs my energy to stay in this world… it became a battle of sorts over who could take the other's life energy."

It was Yami's turn to frown this time, "Life energy?"

"It's what he needs," Yugi replied.

"Yugi, you _do_ know he isn't really you, right?"

Yugi blinked, "He is; he came out of me."

Yami sighed, "He was using you as a vessel. His name is Oni, and apparently he's from Mariku's past-"

"But wasn't Mariku-"

"We'll talk about that later." Yami interrupted, "Oni has to look like the person he came out of though," Yami added as a last thought.

Yami heard Yugi gasp in surprise.

A few seconds of silence passed before Yugi spoke again. "I guess, all that's left now is to defeat Oni…"

"And both Sora and Mira's evil spirits," Yami added, to which Yugi nodded in agreement. "Then, we need to get the Items and everyone else back to our time."

"Yes, about that," Yami said, "All the Waythers are kidnapped people,"

Yugi's eyes widened in horror and concern, but Yami continued. "Mia told me that there are only two time zones. This one, and our time, but from different places around the world."

Yugi blinked, "Well…" he trailed off, "We'll gather everyone up, I guess, and return them to their home. But… you said someone named Mia told you this?"

Yami nodded, "Ok…" Yugi continued, "Who's Mia?"

Yami opened his mouth to reply, but then turned away and brushed the curtain aside. He was surprised to find that only Sora, Mia, and Bakura remained.

Yami cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention by accident, "Mia… could you come in her a moment?" The five-year-old looked up from her place beside Sora. Her ocean-blue eyes shone with curiosity, and for the first time, he realized that her eyes complimented her light orange hair and freckles. Mia walked over to Yami, and Yami guided her behind the curtain, and shut it behind her.

When Mia and Yami were next to the now fully awake Yugi, he introduced them.

"Yugi, this is Mia. Mia…Yugi."

"Nice to meet you!" She squeaked happily, smiling widely. Yami saw Yugi smile back, "Nice to meet you too."

Yami walked over to his chair and plopped down. "Yugi, I think… Mia may be able to help us."

"With what?" Yugi asked.

Mia patted Yami's leg, "May I?" she squeaked. Yami smiled, "Sure," and with that, she carefully climbed into his lap and sat down.

Yugi raised an eyebrow at this, but Yami shrugged. She was only five years old, and a little girl. It wasn't like he was uncomfortable with what she wanted. He actually found her to be really cute, and a really kind person.

"I don't know what, I just had a feeling she could help," Yami answered Yugi's previous question.

"Oh, what did you have in mind?" Yugi asked.

All of a sudden, there were running footsteps sounding behind the curtain. Yami felt Mia tense up in his lap. Yugi and Yami both fell silent. There were panting noises, as if people were out of breath.

"What's going on?" Bakura demanded outside the curtain.

"Can't… explain… must… leave… now…" Ryou's out of breath voice responded.

"Exactly… not enough… time…" Marik added.

"How did _we_ get dragged into this mess!?" Miki's exasperated voice sounded.

"Yeah…why?" Shiro added.

_Wait,_ Yami thought,_ what's going on? How did they find them? _

Mia seemed to sense he was about to get up, because she slid off his lap and held out her hand for his. She was scared, too.

Yami grabbed her hand' he didn't break focus from the curtain. He knew Yugi would be fine there in his bed. Yami hesitantly opened the curtains.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"YAMI!"

He could have sworn he was glomped, then.

Mia let go before a girl jumped him; he crashed to the ground. A pair of bright green eyes stared down at him.

His eyes widened, "Kali?! You're awake?"

"Yes! And where were _you?_ She said accusingly.

"Uh… here…?"

She sighed, "Kali, get off… him… now's not… the time…" Ryou said, apparently still trying to catch his breath.

"Right," she said, and automatically jumped up.

"What?" Yami asked as he got to his feet. Mia then ran to his side again and latched onto his hand again. Yami thought it was beginning to turn into some type of habit for the girl, but he couldn't really blame her. She didn't have anyone to latch on to her whole life.

Ishizu glanced at him, eyes full of fear. The room fell silent, waiting for her words. A loud bang on the door interrupted her though.

Everyone literally jumped from shock and fright. Odion took it as his cue to speak.

"Oni and Mira have arrived, and we have to move before they bust down the door."

* * *

**OMG. Climaxy stuff :D Oh, and since Mia is a five-year-old, I think it's really cute (or at least, it is, in my head) when she squeaks :D any of you find that adorable too? Anyway, yep. I take some time to edit my story XD I could have had it up about a couple of days ago if I didn't edit it… but then it would be sucky and you guys would hate it. And I want to keep my viewers and followers happy… so… :D**

**I have no questions for you to think about, I just want your opinions of the story, and guesses as to what might happen next. PLEASE REVIEW :D**


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